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WITH 

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THE    REX.    FllEDEPvICK    BlIOWN. 


FROM 
TIENTSIN    TO   PEKING 


WITH 


THE    ALLIED    FORCES 


REV.    FREDERICK    BROWN,   F.R.G.S. 

H 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   MISSION,  TIENTSIN 


CHARLES    H.    KELLY 

2,    CASTLE   ST.,    CITY   RD.,    E.G.,    AND   26,    PATERNOSTER   ROW,    E.C. 
1902 


Main  lib. 

JOHN  FRYER 
CHINESE  LIBRARY 


PREFACE 


rriHE  object  of  this  volume  is  to  enable  the  reader 
in  some  degree  to  appreciate  the  difficulties, 
dangers,  and  triumphs  of  one  of  the  most  important 
marches  ever  made,  and  the  only  one  of  its  kind 
recorded  in  history. 

The  sole  excuse  for  undertaking  the  march  with 
twenty  thousand  men  fewer  than  military  experts 
deemed  necessary  for  the  capture  of  Peking  in  the 
middle  of  the  "rainy  season"  is  to  be  found  in  the 
urgency  of  the  situation.  It  was  daring  in  the  extreme, 
and  had  it  ended  in  failure  would  have  been  charac- 
terised as  a  foolhardy  undertaking.  But  we  still  believe 
that  "  one  man  with  God  is  a  majority " ;  and  there 
were  so  many  clear  exhibitions  of  divine  interposition 
during  the  march,  that  I  give  the  glory  to  God  for 
the  saving  of  the  eight  hundred  precious  lives. 
This  volume,  which  makes  no  pretension  to  literary 


5 


747797 


6  PREFACE 

merit,  would  never  have  been  published  but  for  the 
fact  that  many  friends  have  tried  to  persuade  me 
that  I  have  a  tale  to  tell  that  should  be  told. 

I  owe  my  indebtedness  to  several  pubhshed  state- 
ments, and  herewith  gratefully  acknowledge  it. 

FKEDEEICK  BR0W:N^. 


CONTENTS 


CHAP. 

I.  INTRODUCTORY    .... 

II.  AN   EXCITING   RIDE   TO   TIENTSIN 

III.  THE   SIEGE   OF   TIENTSIN 

IV.  SIR   ROBERT   HART's   MESSAGE     . 

V.  BATTLES   OF   PEI-TSANG   AND   YANG-TSUN 

VI.  ON   THE   MARCH 

VII.  THE   ASSAULT    OF   PEKING 

VIII.  THE   RELIEF   OF   THE   LEGATIONS 


PAGE 

9 
19 
29 
46 
63 
75 
96 
112 


GENEEAL  ORDEE 

Tientsin,  20th  July,  1900. 

No.  102.— The  Eev.  F.  Brown  is  taken  on  the 
strength  of  the  Force  from  the  20th,  and  is  attached 
to  the  InteUigence  Department. 

Certified, 

(Signed)     E.  W.  N.  Norie,  Captain, 

D.A.Q.M.G.  for  Intelligence, 

China  Expeditionary  Force. 


FEOM   TIENTSIN  TO  PEKUSTG 


CHAPTEE  I 


INTRODUCTORY 


T  WILL  resist  the  temptation  to  describe,  by  way  of 
-*-  introduction,  that  supremely  dramatic  moment 
when  the  Anglo-Saxon  troops,  in  bespattered  and  sweat- 
sodden  khaki,  led  by  Generals  Gaselee  and  Chaffee, 
forced  their  way  through  the  sluice-gate  under  the  wall 
of  the  city  of  Peking  and  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
rescued  eight  hundred,  and  will  begin  my  recital  with 
the  causes  of  that  march,  whose  like  we  shall  not  see 
again,  unless,  haply,  in  the  future,  the  soldiers  of  five 
nations  shall  combine  to  force  their  way  through  a 
hostile  country,  to  save  men,  women,  and  children 
from  becoming  the  victims    of  an  infuriated  mob. 


TO  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

It  was  in  March,  1900,  that  the  civiHsed  world  was 
startled  by  the  news  that  the  Boxers  had  sprung 
into  prominence  and  were  killing  in  the  Provinces 
of  Shantung  and  Chi-li.  The  term  "Boxer"  is  as 
unfortunate  as  it  is  erroneous.  I-ho-ch'uan  is  the 
,C/hinese  name,  and,  literally  translated,  this  means 
'^' "The  Harmony  of  Fists  Society";  or,  as  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  Shantung,  "Ta-tao-hui"  ("The  Big  Knife 
Society").  Both  these  names  are  comparatively  new, 
though  the  society  is  an  old  one.  It  was  originally  one 
of  the  many  revolutionary  sects  with  which  China  is 
undermined  and  whose  very  existence  is  forbidden 
by  imperial  edict. 

The  Boxer  sect  was  anti-dynastic,  anti-progressive, 
anti-modern,  anti-Christian,  and  anti-foreign ;  but 
when  Prince  Tuan,  the  father  of  the  heir-apparent, 
became  the  leader  of  the  movement,  in  the  spring  of 
1900,  the  anti-dynastic  tenet  was  withdrawn  from 
their  propaganda,  and  full  force  was  allowed  to  the 
anti-foreign  one,  inculcated  with  all  the  fervour  of 
half-civilised  fanatics.  Proclamations  were  sent  to 
all  parts  of  the  empire,  and  they  had  the  desired  effect ; 
for  in  three  months  the  northern  and  central  pro- 
vinces were  swept  clean  of  engineers,  missionaries, 
railways,  telegraphs,  chapels,  schools,  and  colleges. 
But,  more  terrible  than  all,  these  demon-possessed 
ruffians  in  their  frenzy  perpetrated  upon  some  of  the 
noblest  womanhood  of  the  century  atrocities  that  it 
would  be  hard  to  parallel  in  history.     Their  murder- 


THE  EMPEROR'S  REFORMS  ii 

ous  passions  claimed  no  fewer  than  186  slaughtered 
foreigners,  as  follows  : 


70  adults 

28  children 

Enghsh 

40 

16         „ 

Swedish 

24 

8 

American 

134  52 

It  is  also  estimated  that  forty  thousiand  native  Chris- 
tians were  sent  to  martyrs'  graves. 

Three  years  ago  it  was  rumoured  that  China  was 
awaking  after  centuries  of  slumber,  and  that  the 
Emperor  Kuang-hsii  had  turned  reformer.  The  ruler 
of  one-fifth  of  the  human  race,  whose  will  was  supposed 
to  be  law,  had  not  then  reckoned  with  the  wily  Empress 
Dowager,  backed  by  trusted  officials  of  State  whose 
interest  it  was  to  maintain  the  old,  corrupt  methods. 

The  Emperor  moved  very  fast.  He  abolished  the 
classical  essay  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  examinations  ; 
he  ordered  the  establishment  of  a  university  in  Peking, 
and  that  school  boards  should  be  formed  in  the  pro- 
vinces. Eailways  and  telegraphs  were  to  be  hurried 
along  till  the  eighteen  provinces  should  be  united  and 
bound  by  a  network  of  rails  and  wires.  He  even  ordered 
the  Buddhist  temples  to  be  turned  into  schoolrooms. 
Li-hung-chang  and  Chin-hsti  were  dismissed  from  the 
Tsung-li-Yamen.  The  governorships  of  three  provinces 
were  abolished  as  useless  expense,  and  the  two  presi- 
dents and  four  vice-presidents  of  the  Board  of   Eites 


12  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

were  dismissed.  Doubtless  many  of  these  reforms  would 
have  been  helpful  to  the  nation  and  people ;  and  if  the 
Emperor  had  been  able  to  put  into  operation  most  of 
them,  as  he  did  some,  China  would  to-day  have  been 
not  far  behind  Japan  in  the  matter  of  progress. 

At  this  juncture,  and  before  the  Emperor's  projects 
could  be  realised,  the  Empress  Dowager,  with  the  clique 
of  fossilised  advisers  who  surrounded  her,  decided  that 
the  Emperor  was  in  feeble  health  and  that  the  anxieties 
of  State  would  surely  kill  him.  Accordingly,  on  the 
advice  of  the  dismissed  officials  and  in  conformity  with 
her  own  lust  for  power,  she  resolved,  despite  her  age, 
to  reassume  the  rulership  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  So 
the  Emperor  was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison- 
rather  a  strange  place  in  which  to  put  an  invalid  ! 
The  sound  of  his  protesting  voice  could  never  reach  the 
outside  of  the  Forbidden  City,  and  should  he  so  resist  as 
to  cause  trouble— well,  a  cup  of  strong  tea,  with  a  pinch 
of  poison  added,  such  as  former  emperors  had  been 
compelled  to  drink,  would  soon  put  him  to  rest.  No 
opposition  was  made  by  the  Foreign  Governments,  and 
this  glaring  act  of  injustice  was  perpetrated  without 
even  a  remonstrance. 

After  this  brilliant  move,  so  successfully  carried  out, 
it  was  decided  to  deal  with  the  Emperor's  friends,  the 
reformers.  These  men  were  struggling  to  throw  off 
the  bonds  of  national  servitude,  the  tyranny  of  illegal 
taxation,  the  abuses  of  officialdom,  the  demands  for 
bribery,  and  the  corrupt  injustice  of  the  criminal  court. 


EXTERMINA  TION  OF  REFORMERS        1 3 

Eeform  in  China  is  the  deadly  enemy  of  the  present 
Manchu  dynasty,  which  rests  upon  the  corruption  and 
official  abuses  the  unhappy  Emperor  was  seeking  to 
abate. 

Extermination  of  the  reformers  was  the  only  hope  of 
the  present  Government  under  the  Empress  Dowager. 
Chief  among  them  was  ICang-yu-wei.  He,  however, 
saw  what  was  coming,  and  fled.  Forthwith  an  order 
was  issued  to  slice  him  in  pieces  at  the  moment  of 
capture  ;  his  family  were  to  be  killed,  with  all  his  re- 
latives ;  even  the  very  graves  of  his  ancestors  were  to  be 
demolished.  Such  was  the  penalty  of  being  a  reformer. 
Many  were  not  so  smart  as  K'ang-yu-wei,  and  a  large 
number  of  fine  young  men,  the  flower  of  the  Chinese 
capital,  were  caught  and  beheaded  without  a  trial.  One 
man,  Chang-yin-huan,  who  had  thus  been  condemned, 
was  saved  by  the  intervention  of  the  British  Minister 
to  China,  Sir  Claude  Macdonald.  He  had  been  the 
bearer  of  congratulations  from  the  Emperor  of  China 
on  the  late  Queen's  Jubilee.  Travelling  round  the 
world,  he  had  acquired  something  of  the  spirit  of  reform, 
and  for  this  was  to  be  executed,  when  Sir  Claude  stepped 
in  and  saved  him  ;  but  he  was  subsequently  exiled  and 
secretly  executed,  in  June,  1900,  by  the  orders  of  the 
Empress  Dowager. 

Who  is  this  woman,  that  has  been  the  means  of  so 
much  suffering  in  China  and  the  acknowledged  leader 
in  the  Boxer  crusade  ?  Her  full  name  is  Tsz-hi,  Tao- 
nu,  Kang-i,  Chon-yu,  Chang-ghing,  Sha-kung,  Chui- 


14  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

hsien,  Chung-shi.  A  Manchu  by  birth,  carefully 
educated  —  an  advantage  which  falls  to  very  few 
of  her  sex,  even  in  the  noblest  families— she  became 
concubine  to  the  Emperor  Hsien  Feng,  and  had  the 
joy  of  presenting  him  with  a  son  and  heir  to  the  throne. 
To  signalise  his  delight,  he  raised  her  to  the  rank  of 
Empress,  and  from  the  year  1861  to  1875,  when  the 
present  Emperor  came  to  the  throne,  her  will  was 
absolute. 

During  the  year  1900  the  Christian  Church  in  China 
faced  great  persecution ;  and  what  James,  Paul, 
Polycarp,  Irenaeus,  and  the  noble  army  of  martyrs 
did  for  early  Christianity,  the  Chinese  Christians  did 
for  China  in  the  last  year  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  native  Christian— so  feeble,  so  apparently  unfitted 
to  endure  severe  strain— has  been  tried  in  the  furnace 
of  affliction.  The  howling  mob  in  the  Colosseum  at 
Eome,  thirsting  for  the  blood  of  the  Christians, 
has  found  its  counterpart  in  the  Boxer  and  his 
allies. 

In  January,  1900,  the  Eev.  J.  Brooks  w^as  brutally 
murdered  in  Shantung  Province,  while  two  German 
priests  were  killed  within  a  short  distance  of  the  scene 
of  his  murder.  A  decree  was  promulgated,  an  indemnity 
was  paid,  and  a  few  men,  probably  innocent,  were 
beheaded.  The  Governor,  named  Yii-hsien,  was  dis- 
missed and  degraded,  but  was  almost  immediately 
appointed  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Shan-si,  where, 
according  to  latest  statistics,  he  put  to  death  no  fewer 


IMPERIAL  EDICTS  USELESS  15 

than  one  hundred  and  ten  European  and  American 
subjects.  A  strong  protest  from  the  Foreign  Powers 
at  the  time  would  have  prevented  his  appointment 
and  probably  saved  much  life  and  suffering. 

Imperial  edicts  for  the  protection  of  life  and  property 
enacted  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1900  proved 
useless,  for  with  them  secret  instructions  to  the  contrary 
were  being  issued  to  the  officials.  A  friendly  disposed 
official  called  on  me  to  say,  "  Protection  given  in  the  past 
will  be  impossible  in  the  future."  Being  asked  why, 
he  replied,  "  Puh  hsing  "  ("It  cannot  be  done").  In 
February  the  Viceroy  sent  out  word  that  I  should 
not  be  allowed  to  travel  without  an  escort  of  Chinese 
soldiers.  Refusing  the  escort,  I  secured  one  of  our 
trusted  native  ministers  and  sent  him  to  an  out-station 
with  my  mules  and  cart.  On  his  arrival  at  the  chapel 
a  crowd  gathered,  but,  raising  the  curtain,  they  saw 
that  he  was  only  a  Chinaman,  who  for  mobbing 
purposes  was  not  so  desirable  as  a  foreigner.  At  this 
time  a  letter  from  me  was  published  in  the  New  York 
Christian  Advocate,  an  extract  from  which  I  give 
here  to  show  that  the  missionaries  saw  the  trouble 
coming : 

"  Every  circuit  in  the  distiict  is  over-i-un  by  the 
Boxers,  and  all  our  preachers  are  in  great 
danger.  I  am  trying  to  show  by  example  that 
'  the  post  of  danger  is  the  post  of  honour.'  All 
our  foreign  and  native  workers  are  in  great 
danger,  and  at  present  we  cannot  see  the  '  silver 


1 6  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

lining  '  to  the  cloud.  If  we  can  fill  out  the 
Conference  year  ^  without  riot  and  bloodshed,  I 
shall  be  glad." 

An  editorial  note  on  the  above : 

"  It  is  evident  the  missionaries  saw  what  was  coming 
at  this  early  date." 

By  the  middle  of  May  the  Boxer  movement  had 
obtained  a  firmer  footing  in  North  China  than  the 
Foreign  Ministers  suspected.  On  17th  May  sixty 
Catholic  converts  were  killed,  and  more  than  two 
thousand  were  forced  to  flee  for  their  lives,  without 
food,  clothes,  or  shelter.  Lord  Salisbury  cabled  to 
Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  "  If  you  think  it  necessary 
for  protection  of  Europeans,  you  may  send  for  Marine 
Guard."  The  guard  was  sent  for  immediately,  but 
the  Chinese  placed  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  advance 
towards  the  Legation.  At  this  time  the  Belgian 
engineers  were  attacked  while  trying  to  escape  from 
Pao-ting-fu  to  the  coast.  Four  were  killed,  and  the 
remainder  endured  terrible  suffering,  being  eventually 
brought  into  Tientsin  by  a  relief  party  organised  by 
the  residents  of  that  city  aided  by  military  men. 

On  2nd  June  I  was  resting,  after  a  hard  morning's 
work  at  the  North  China  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  city  of  Peking,  when  I  heard 
in  the  yard  the  sound  of  a  Chinaman's  voice  relating 
an  exciting  story.  Going  outside,  I  saw  that  the 
man  was  Mr.  Wang-pao-tang,  a  local  preacher ;  he  was 
^  Conference  year  ended  30th  May,  1900. 


THE  MARINE  GUARD  17 

describing  the  murder  of  the  Eev.  W.  Eobinson,  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  that  had  occurred  on  the 
previous  day.  He  also  reported  that  the  Eev.  J. 
Norman,  of  the  same  Society,  had  been  led  away  for 
ransom.  Word  was  sent  immediately  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  mission  in  Peking,  aiid  from  there  to 
the  ministers  at  the  Legations.  From  that  moment 
all  became  alive  to  the  seriousness  of  the  situation. 

By  this  time  the  Marine  Guard  had  been  allowed  to 
come  into  Peking.  It  consisted  of  350  officers  and 
nieii— English,  American,  German,  Eussian,  Japanese, 
and  French.  Only  a  few  of  this  force  lived  to  return 
to  the  coast  after  the  relief  of  the  Legations.  Prince 
Tuan,  a  notorious  foreigner-hater,  had  by  revolution- 
ary methods  become  President  of  the  Tsung-li-Yamen, 
or  Foreign  Office. 

By  this  time  it  had  become  impossible  any  longer  to 
disguise  the  fact  that  all  the  bloodshed  was  instigated 
by  the  Empress  Dowager  and  her  advisers,  who  could 
no  longer  conceal  their  guilt.  It  was  part  of  a  well-laid 
scheme  for  the  extermination  of  the  foreigner,  and  that 
could  be  accomplished  best  where  he  was  least  protected 
—away  in  the  interior.  They  rightly  judged  that  the 
spirit  of  the  West  is  the  spirit  of  reform,  and  nothing 
short  of  extermination  would  suffice  those  opposed  to 
it. 

It  may  be  well  to  state  here  briefly  the  causes  of  the 
bitter  hatred  by  the  Chinese  of  the  foreigner ;  they 
have  been  principally  as  follows : 


1 8  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

1.  The  hereditary  hatred  felt  by  the  Manchus  (or  the 

reigning  dynasty)  for  all  foreigners. 

2.  The   circulation   for    many    years   of   the   vilest 

slanders  against  foreigners,  charging  them  with 
Iddnapping  and  murder. 

3.  The  despoilment  of  China  by  Foreign  Govern- 

ments, and  the  pubUc  discussion  in  newspapers 
of  the  dismemberment  of  the  Chinese  Empire. 

4.  The  demand  made  for  and  the  securing  of  official 

rank  by  Eoman  Catholic  missionaries  in  1899. 

5.  The  secret  resentment  felt  by  the  Chinese  against 

the  opium  trade,  which  has  degraded  the  people 

to  a  large  extent. 
To  these  was  mainly  due  the  sudden  outburst,  which 
astonished  the  world  and  made  some  nervous  people 
believe  that  the  "  Yellow  Peril "  had  arrived.  The 
Manchu  Government  has  long  felt  its  hold  upon 
China's  miUions  menaced  by  the  spread  of  Western 
civihsation.  Hence  their  hatred  and  extermination 
of  foreigners  are  but  the  exercise  of  the  instinct  of 
self-preservation. 


ofii  1u 


CHAPTER  II 

AN  EXCITING   RIDE  TO   TIENTSIN 

rpHE  North  China  Conference  of  1900  was  to  be  held 
-^  at  Peking  on  30th  May.  Entering  the  city,  we 
saw  something  of  the  ravages  of  the  Boxers,  who  had 
already  attacked  the  main  line  south.  Passing  the 
Feng-tai  Junction,  we  saw  the  engineers'  houses, 
workshops,  engines,  and  carriages  in  ruins,  they  having 
been  destroyed  a  few  days  previously. 

Our  Conference  lasted  till  the  evening  of  3rd  June, 
but  before  that  date  some  of  the  native  preachers  had 
asked  to  be  permitted  to  withdraw.  In  each  case 
leave  was  given,  and  they  went  to  their  homes  to  stand 
by  their  families  if  needs  were.  We  are  sorry  now  that 
more  did  not  go,  for  some  who  remained  were  shot  in 
the  Legations.  On  4th  June,  about  nine  o'clock,  a 
party  of  four  gentlemen  and  three  ladies  left  the 
mission  compound  for  the  station  three  miles  away. 
On  passing  the  Legations,  we  noticed  crowds  of  soldiers 
lounging  around  the  gates,  as  if  protecting  the  people 
inside.  One  man  snapped  his  fingers  at  Dr.  Hopkins, 
one   of  my   companions,   and  said,   "  Ni-men-chu-puh- 


20  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

liao  "  ("  You  cannot  get  away  now  ").  We  did  not  know 
the  full  significance  of  his  words,  but  went  on  and  out 
of  the  Yung-ting  Gate.  When  just  outside,  we  were 
told  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  get  away,  as 
the  Boxers  were  in  possession  farther  south,  the  bridge 
was  burnt,  and  the  train  could  not  proceed.  One  of  my 
colleagues  insisted  on  our  going  to  the  terminus  to 
ascertain  the  truth.  On  arriving  at  the  station,  we 
entered  the  foreign  waiting-room,  which  was  a  beautiful 
double-storey  building.  The  stationmaster,  a  China- 
man, informed  us  that  there  would  be  no  trains.  By 
this  time  we  were  joined  by  two  gentlemen  who  had 
been  seeing  the  sights  of  Peking.  We  waited  here  for 
some  time,  and  then  I  asked  permission  to  wire  to  the 
Foreign  Inspector  at  Feng-tai,  which  was  granted.  I 
then  wrote  the  following  telegram : 

"  Barber,  Feng-tai. 

There  are  three  ladies  and  some  gentle- 
men waiting  here.  Is  there  any  possible 
chance  of  our  getting  to  Tientsin  to- 
day ?  Brown.'' 

This  telegram  went  forward,  but  no  answer  came  ; 
the  inspector  was  not  there.  Then  looking  down  the 
line,  we  saw  an  engine  coming  towards  us.  On  the 
engine  was  a  native  guard  of  some  standing,  who  was 
anxious  to  get  to  the  Tientsin  end.  He  said,  "  I  cannot 
promise  to  get  you  to  Tientsin,  but  will  do  my  best. 


AN  EXCITING  RIDE  21 

We  may  land  you  over  the  burning  bridges,  among 
the  Boxers,  or  have  to  bring  you  back/' 

We  decided  to  run  the  risks,  each  man,  taking  his 
place  at  a  carriage  window,  being  armed  with  either 
a  rifle  or  a  revolver,  and  some  of  the  ladies  having  the 
latter  weapon.  We  started,  and,  after  going  about 
nine  miles,  came  to  the  bridge  ;  it  was  burnt,  but 
not  so  seriously  as  to  prevent  our  crossing  it.  Along- 
side was  the  shell  of  the  Huang-tsun  station,  which  had ' 
been  attacked  that  morning,  while  the  signal-post  and 
water-tank  were  badly  damaged.  There  were  sword- 
cuts  on  all  that  remained  of  the  woodwork.  Passing  on, 
before  long  we  found  the  line  on  both  sides  thronged 
with  Boxers  and  our  supposed  friends  the  soldiers; 
but  neither  attempted  to  attack  us,  and  we  dashed  on 
at  full  speed.  When  we  stopped  to  take  in  water,  one 
of  our  number  questioned  some  of  the  soldiers  belong- 
ing to  General  Nieh's  army,  who  had  been  sent  to 
protect  the  station  which  had  been  attacked  that 
morning.  Asked  as  to  the  Boxer  attack,  they  said, 
"  An  old  man  came  from  the  village  at  2  a.m.  It  was 
very  dark.  Then  thousands  of  '  heavenly  soldiers  ' 
[imperial  troops]  came  down,  and  we  fired  at  them, 
but  the  bullets  would  not  enter.  Some  did  knock  men 
over,  but  they  would  jump  up,  spit  the  bullets  out,  and 
fight  again.  And  how  could  we  fight  against  such 
men  ?  " 

These  soldiers  were  making  their  way  as  fast  as 
possible  towards  the  coast,  telling  this  tale  as  they 


2  2  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

went— showing  only  too  plainly  that  the  Boxers  and 
the  soldiers  were  at  this  date  (4th  June)  in  league 
together  to  exterminate  the  foreigner,  and  that  it  is 
untrue,  as  some  would  have  us  believe,  that  it 
was  not  till  17th  June,  after  the  bombardment  of 
the  forts  at  Taku,  that  the  army  joined  the  Boxers. 

Arrived  at  Tientsin,  we  found  that  our  driver  had 
absconded.  Many  friends  were  anxiously  awaiting 
us,  hardly  expecting  again  to  see  us  alive.  The  tele- 
graph wires  were  cut,  and  every  station  and  bridge  on 
the  line  was  burnt,  while  the  rails  were  torn  up.  We 
were  indeed  grateful  for  our  escape  from  what  seemed 
like  certain  death. 

On  11th  June,  just  seven  days  after  we  had  been 
the  last  foreigners  to  escape  from  Peking,  Admiral 
Seymour,  determined  to  reopen  communication  with 
Peking  within  twenty -four  hours,  set  out  from 
Tientsin  with  2,000  men,  amongst  whom  were  915 
British,  350  Germans,  158  French,  and  104  Americans, 
Austrians,  and  Italians.  This  force  pushed  on  slowly, 
and  succeeded  in  reaching  Lang-fang,  the  farthest 
north,  fighting  all  the  way  and  repairing  the  line  as 
they  went.  Progress  became  difficult,  chiefly  because 
the  line  of  communication  was  being  constantly  cut 
in  the  rear.  After  some  days  they  ran  short  of  food 
and  water,  and,  as  they  had  many  sick  and  wounded, 
it  was  decided  to  return  to  Tientsin.  This  was  done ; 
but  throughout  their  march  they  had  to  fight  their 
way,  and  for  nearly  a   week  there  was  no  word  of 


A  STRANGE  PERFORMANCE  23 

Seymour  or  his  troops.  Having  fought  their  way  to 
Yang-tsun,  they  resolved  to  abandon  the  railway  line 
and  take  to  the  river,  eventually  reaching  Hsi-ku, 
where  they  found  and  captured  the  arsenal,  and  en- 
trenched till  the  relieving  force  from  Tientsin  found 
them  and  brought  them  in. 

Three  weeks  before  I  went  to  Peking,  to  attend  the 
Conference,  my  family  had  been  ordered  to  Pei-tai-ho, 
on  the  northern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Pechili,  for  health 
reasons.  This  place  is  150  miles  from  Tientsin,  in  a 
north-easterly  direction.  It  has  been  possible  to  send 
invalids  there  only  since  the  railway  was  opened,  ten 
years  ago.  It  has  proved  a  great  boon  to  those  in 
need  of  a  change  of  air,  and  has  braced  up  many  an 
invalid  who  otherwise  would  have  been  obliged  to  go 
to  Japan  or  the  homeland.  To  this  place  I  was  advised 
to  go  by  H.B.M.  Consul  at  Tientsin.  The  day  follow- 
ing our  arrival  froni  Peking,  5th  June,  we  went  to  take 
a  train,  and  found  the  platform  in  possession  of  General 
Nieh's  troops.  Here  I  saw  the  strangest  performance 
I  ever  witnessed  during  my  eighteen  years'  residence 
in  the  Chinese  Empire.  A  soldier  took  a  black  dog 
by  the  ears,  and  another  held  him  by  the  tail,  while  a 
third  cut  him  across  the  neck.  Catching  the  blood  in 
a  dish,  they  dipped  the  points  of  their  bayonets  into 
it,  and  then  sprinkled  it  from  the  dish  abou^  the  plat- 
form. A  satisfactory  explanation  of  this  strange  pro- 
ceeding I  have  not  yet  received.  The  only  one  sug- 
gested is,  that  it  is  the  Chinese  method  of  exciting  an 


24  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKNIG 

appetite  for  blood  and  fighting  ;  but  I  doubt  its  being 
the  correct  one. 

In  the  train  that  morning  we  were  accompanied 
by  the  gallant  captain  of  the  German  ship  the  llii^, 
who,  at  the  taking  of  the  Taku  forts  a  few  days  later, 
had  both  legs  blown  off.  For  his  gallantry  he  has 
received  a  special  decoration  from  His  Majesty  the 
Emperor  of  Germany.  There  were  also  two  mission- 
aries, Dr.  N.  S.  Hopkins  and  the  Eev.  J.  F.  Hayne, 
whose  families  were  living  seven  miles  from  the  Great 
Wall,  at  a  place  called  Tsun-hua  ;  there  were  four 
ladies  and  seven  children  at  this  station.  A  few  days 
later  a  telegram  was  sent  to  General  Sung-ching,  ask- 
ing him  to  help  these  people.  In  reply,  he  sent  twenty 
cavalrymen,  who,  acting  on  his  instructions,  brought 
them  out  safely.  Within  a  few  days  this  same  general 
came  under  the  magic  wand  of  the  Chinese  "  Jezebel,'' 
and  the  lamb  became  a  lion  ;  the  friendly  Sung-ching 
was  transformed  into  a  bitter  enemy,  and  fought  us 
desperately  at  Tientsin  and  on  the  march  to  Peking. 
It  was  this  brave  general  who  showed  to  the  world 
that  the  Chinese  soldier,  well  led,  is  not  to  be  con- 
demned. 

On  my  arrival  at  Pei-tai-ho,  I  found  intense  excite- 
ment. The  ladies  and  children  were  brought  into  the 
Eocky  Point  settlement,  which  is  situated  on  the  side 
of  a  high  hill,  from  which  anything  approaching  from 
the  surrounding  country  could  be  readily  seen.  There 
were  75  people  all  told,  nearly  all  women  and  children. 


ACTING  AS  INTERPRETER  25 

Anxiously  we  waited  for  what  the  future  had  in  store 
for  us.  Our  Une  of  retreat  landwards  was  soon  cut  off, 
and  at  last  all  communication  with  our  quarter  ceased. 
Then  one  morning,  on  looking  out  southward  to  the 
open  sea,  we  saw  a  vessel  approaching.  She  proved  to 
be  H.M.S.  Humber,  sent  by  the  Vice-Admiral  to  rescue 
us.  This  sight  gave  heart  to  the  nervous  ones  in  our 
company. 

Major  Parsons  of  the  Burma  Army,  who  was  study- 
ing the  Chinese  language  here,  had  taken  command 
of  our  small  garrison.  A  flag-staff  had  been  set  up 
ashore  and  a  code  of  signals  arranged.  The  President 
of  the  Eocky  Point  Association  had  deputed  me  to  act 
for  him,  and  so  my  responsibilities  were  great;  for 
during  the  whole  time  I  had  to  act  as  interpreter  to  the 
Major,  and  as  medium  between  him  and  the  Chinese 
people  round  about.  After  consultation,  it  was  decided 
that  all  should  board  the  ship,  leaving  houses,  goods, 
and  chattels  to  the  Boxers.  The  gunboat  was  two  miles 
out  at  sea,  and  the  ship's  boats  would  have  been  almost 
useless  for  getting  the  people  on  board ;  so  the  Major 
asked  me  to  hire  junks,  or  Chinese  boats.  But  all  my 
efforts  to  obtain  them  failed ;  in  spite  of  offers  of  large 
sums  of  money,  the  fishermen  would  not  lend  a  single 
vessel.  The  reason  transpired  later :  the  local  official 
had  threatened  that  any  man  hiring  to  us  should  be 
executed  on  arrest.  A  note  to  this  effect,  given  to  the 
Major,  brought  down  twenty -five  British  marines 
with  fixed  bayonets,  and  they  took  all  the  junks  they 


26  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

needed,  the  fishermen  bolting  Uke  a  flock  of  sheep.  Our 
circumstances  were  serious  enough,  but  I  could  not 
help  being  amused  at  our  British  tars'  attempts  to  sail 
the  junks.  Not  much  progress  was  made  until  the 
ship's  steam-launch  was  brought  into  requisition. 

On  boarding  the  ship  I  ventured  to  remark  to  the 
doctor  that  the  Chinese  could  handle  their  ugly  boats 
much  better  than  could  our  men.  Drawing  himself 
together  and  standing  his  full  height,  he  replied,  "  My 
dear  sir,  allow  me  to  inform  you  that  there  is  nothing 
in  tliis  world  that  a  British  blue-jacket  cannot  do."  I 
fully  agreed  with  him,  of  course.  Nothing  could  have 
surpassed  the  tenderness  with  which  the  blue- jackets 
helped  the  delicate  women  and  children  into  the  boats, 
and  from  the  boats  on  to  the  ship,  in  assisting  them  to 
escape  the  Boxer  mobs.  Many  of  the  men  doubtless 
had  children  of  their  own,  and  thought  of  them  while 
they  gently  handed  the  babies  and  their  parents  on 
to  the  stout  deck  of  H.M.S.  Humber.  There  were 
ladies  with  us  whose  husbands  were  in  Peking  and  their 
children  in  Tientsin,  both  places  at  that  time  being 
besieged  and  bombarded  ;  and  some  of  our  number  left 
Pei-tai-ho  believing  that  they  would  never  again  see 
their  loved  ones.    But  to  stay  meant 

Cold,  hunger,  prisons,  ills  without  a  cure; 
All  these  they  must,  and  guiltless,  oft  endure. 

The  ship  sailed  for  Taku,  where  the  American  subjects 
were  taken  charge  of  by  the  American  Admiral,  while 
the  British  were  sent  on  board  the  S.S.  Yik-sang  for 


AN  ULTIMATUM  27 

conveyance  to  Chefoo.  The  Humber  returned  at  once 
to  Pei-tai-ho,  to  bring  back  those  she  had  been  unable 
to  ship  on  the  first  trip ;  and  when  she  left  the  shore 
the  looters  could  be  plainly  seen  at  work,  and  before 
the  ship  left  the  harbour,  what  had  been  a  beautiful 
town  was  a  mass  of  flames. 

On  16th  June  the  Admirals  at  Taku  noticed  the 
Chinese  laying  torpedoes  in  the  river  and  training 
their  guns  on  the  men-of-war.  They  thus  foresaw  the 
Boxer  and  his  army, 

who  pitched  upon  the  plain 
His  mighty  camp,  and  when  the  day  returned 
The  country  wasted,  the  hamlets  burned ; 
And  left  the  pillagers,  to  rapine  bred. 
Without  control  to  strip  and  spoil  the  dead. 

On  the  Saturday  evening  an  ultimatum  was  sent  to 
General  Yang,  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  forts 
before  2  a.m.  on  the  17th.  The  only  answer  was  the 
booming  of  the  Chinese  guns,  that  had  been  trained 
on  the  men-of-war.  Little  damage  was  done,  however ; 
for  the  ships  had  changed  position  after  dark,  so  that 
nearly  all  the'  shells  plunged  harmlessly  into  the  sea. 
Long  and  terrible  was  the  fight,  for  on  both  sides  the 
most  modern  weapons  were  in  use.  Before  daylight 
the  torpedo-catchers,  which  had  entered  the  river  a  few 
days  before,  came  down,  landed  men,  and  made  the 
assault.  The  Chinese  general  and  hundreds  of  officers 
and  men  were  killed,  while  those  who  escaped  fell 
back  on  Tang-shan,  in  the  direction  whence  we  had 


28  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

come  on  being  rescued  by  H.M.S.  Humber.  Had  our 
departure  been  delayed  till  the  arrival  of  the  retreating 
soldiers,  we  should  all  without  doubt  have  fallen  victims 
to  their  wrath. 

An  English  engine-driver  had  made  his  escape  from 
Taku  during  the  bombardment,  and,  dashing  along 
on  his  engine,  brought  the  news  to  us  at  Pei-tai-ho. 
Having  the  land  telegraphic  line  open  to  the  north,  I 
dispatched  a  cable  to  America,  vid  St.  Petersburg  and 
London,  announcing  the  fall  of  Taku.  It  proved  to  be 
the  first  intimation  of  the  event  to  reach  the  outside 
world.  A  few  days  previously  I  had  been  appointed,  by 
cable,  war  correspondent  for  the  New  York  Journal, 


CHAPTEE  III 


THE   SIEGE  OF   TIENTSIN 


TTTHILE  at  Chefoo,  where  we  had  been  taken  by  the 
'  '  Yik-sang,  I  dispatched  many  war  cables  to  New 
York,  and  some  were  copied  into  English  papers.  I  also 
received  cables  from  all  parts  from  people  who  had 
friends  in  Tientsin  and  Peking.  Some  I  was  able  to 
answer,  but  to  many  it  was  beyond  my  power  to  give 
the  information  asked  for.  Since  I  have  acted  as 
a  war  correspondent  I  appreciate  the  demand  for 
sensational  news.  Several  cables  reached  me  asking 
for  abnormally  thrilling  incidents  ;  but  these  I  could 
not  give  without  inventing  them.  Correspondents  send 
sensation  because  it  is  demanded  at  headquarters. 

While  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  return  from 
Chef 00  to  Taku— which  was  no  easy  matter,  for  no 
civilians  were  allowed  to  go,  Tientsin  being  in  a  state  of 
siege— I  was  pleased  to  notice  how  energetically  and 
amicably  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  joined  in  rescuing 
Europeans.  Consul  Fowler,  the  representative  of  the 
United  States,  chartered  a  steamer  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility, and  sent  her  along  the  coast  of  the  gulf  to  pick 
up  any  European,  regardless  of  his  nationality,  who 

29 


30  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

might  be  in  distress.  In  this  way  about  two  hundred 
Enghsh,  French,  and  American  persons  were  rescued. 

In  Chefoo  there  were  two  frowning  forts,  and  we  were 
in  continual  fear  lest  they  should  fire  upon  us.  Under 
these  circumstances,  an  American  subject  asked  per- 
mission to  go  to  Wei-hai-wei  on  H.M.S.  Terrible. 
Captain  Percy  Scott,  of  Ladysmith  fame,  answered  : 
"  Sir,  on  board  H.M.S.  Terrible  there  is  no  difference 
between  American  and  British.  Come,  as  many  as 
want  to  go  to  Wei-hai-wei.  Blood  is  thicker  than  water." 
This  recalls  an  incident  during  the  attack  on  the  forts 
at  Taku  in  1860  :  when  some  of  the  British  vessels  were 
in  difficulties,  the  American  Admiral  sent  a  tug-boat  to 
pull  a  disabled  ship  out  of  range  ;  being  asked  his  reason, 
he  replied,  "  Blood  is  thicker  than  water." 

Chefoo  was  nearly  free  of  women  and  children.  My 
own  wife  went  away  on  board  a  troop-ship  bound  for 
Hong-kong,  whence  I  had  arranged  that  she  should  be 
sent  forward  to  England.  On  arriving  there  she  wired, 
"  Steamers  full,  and  no  lodgings.  What  shall  I  do  ?  " 
In  answer,  I  replied  by  telegraph,  "  Go  to  Japan."  She, 
with  the  children,  then  sailed  for  Nagasaki,  where  they 
remained  till  September,  when  they  sailed  in  the  German 
steamer  for  England. 

^  At  last,  after  a  weary  time  of  waiting  in  Chefoo,  I 
was  given  the  opportunity  of  returning  to  Tientsin. 
This  came  about  through  the  kindness  of  the  captain 
of  a  vessel  carrying  cattle  for  the  German  Navy  at  Taku. 
The  voyage  up  was  uneventful.    It  takes  eighteen  hours, 


UP  THE  RIVER  31 

as  a  rule,  and  we  reached  the  anchorage  in  good  time. 
Going  ashore,  I  saw  Captain  Wild  of  the  U.S.S.  Mona- 
cacy,  who  allowed  me  to  ascend  the  twenty-seven  miles 
of  river  on  an  armed  tug-boat.  On  entering  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  I  saw  the  Japanese  and  British  flags  float- 
ing over  the  first  forts,  from  which  so  recently  the 
Chinese  had  defied  the  allied  fleets.  There  were  many 
signs  of  the  terrible  struggle  which  had  taken  place. 
Two  big  condensers  were  in  use  condensing  water.  Some 
of  the  Allies  had  given  no  quarter  to  a  single  Chinaman, 
and  one  had  disgraced  civilisation  by  firing  on  the  un- 
armed coolies  of  the  Tug  and  Lighter  Company. 

In  ordinary  times  a  large  hulk  is  anchored  on  the  bar 
outside  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  about  three  hundred 
coolies  live  on  board.  When  steamers  come  and  need 
lighterage,  the  coolies  are  put  aboard  them  by  the 
Company.  After  the  fall  of  the  Taku  forts,  there  being 
no  steamers  to  employ  them,  they  decided  to  go  ashore. 
Unfortunately  for  them,  they  landed  opposite  the 
Eussian  fort.  They  were  fired  upon,  and  the  whole 
three  hundred  were  either  shot  or  drowned.  The  ribs 
of  the  hulk  now  lie  above  high-water  mark  as  a  memento 
of  the  terrible  deed.  This  is  only  one  of  the  many  crimes 
perpetrated  in  the  name  of  civilisation,  and  China  has 
good  right  to  choose  her  civilising  powers. 

The  trip  up  the  river  was  a  terrible  experience.  We 
had  to  steer  clear  of  corpses,  the  river  being  crowded 
with  them.  Scores  of  grain- junks  were  anchored  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  and  foreign  soldiers  were  search- 


32  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

ing  them  for  eggs,  chickens,  and  anything  else  eatable. 
Non-compliance  with  their  demands  meant  death  to  the 
recalcitrants,  and,  as  a  result,  we  saw  soldiers  with  hens 
and  other  plmider  slung  round  their  waist-belts.  Most 
of  the  villages  had  been  destroyed,  and  over  such  as 
remamed  was  waving  the  British,  Japanese,  French, 
or  German  flag,  to  testify  that  the  inhabitants  were 
friendly.  The  match  factory  and  farm,  though  owned 
by  Chinese,  were  counted  semi-foreign,  and  had  been 
destroyed  by  the  Boxers. 

It  took  us  eight  weary  hours  to  make  this  short  trip, 
along  which,  on  both  sides,  the  high  grain  gave  good 
shelter  for  Chinese  snipers ;  yet,  excepting  by  an  out- 
post in  the  distance,  we  were  not  disturbed.  Junks 
followed  in  succession,  bearing  wounded  to  the  coast. 
The  upper  decks  were  crowded  with  bandaged  men 
being  taken  seaward,  where  a  quicker  recovery  might 
be  expected  than  in  this  foul  atmosphere. 

On  arriving  at  the  foreign  settlement,  I  found  my 
house  shattered  with  shells.  In  the  rooms  I  collected 
handfuls  of  shrapnel  bullets  and  exploded  shells.  The 
French  settlement  had  been  destroyed,  and  what  had 
been  a  pretty  (Chinese)  suburb  was  now  nothing  but 
a  mass  of  roofless  houses,  charred  and  blackened. 

On  19th  June  the  Chinese  began  to  bombard  the 
foreign  settlement  of  Tientsin.  There  was  but  a  small 
force  of  the  Allies,  while  the  Chinese  crowded  round  in 
thousands;  still  all  the  settlements  of  Tientsin  were 
blockaded.    The  Boxers  were  in  front,  while  the  regulars 


A  PERILOUS  JOURNEY  33 

stood  behind,  bombarding  with  all  their  might,  hoping 
to  overpower  the  small  garrison,  when  the  Boxers  could 
rush  in  and  massacre. 

Tientsin  must  have  fallen,  and  the  Admirals  at  Taku 
would  not  have  known  of  its  great  peril,  but  for  a  young 
Englishman  named  Watts,  who  offered  to  ride  through 
the  Chinese  lines,  with  two  Cossacks,  to  Taku.  At 
nightfall  Watts  and  the  Cossacks  slipped  quietly  through 
the  besiegers.  After  many  narrow  escapes,  swimming 
the  river  twice  and  being  shot  at  several  times,  they 
reached  Taku.  Mr.  Watts  in  performing  this  feat 
displayed  most  conspicuous  bravery,  and  the  King  has 
been  pleased  to  recognise  his  courage  and  the  value  of 
his  services.  His  Majesty  has  conferred  upon  him  a 
Companionship  of  St.  Michael  and  St.  George.  Troops 
were  at  once  dispatched ;  and  though  repulsed  twice  on 
the  way,  they  arrived  in  time  to  save  the  situation. 
Every  civilian  had  been  in  the  firing  line ;  many  had 
been  hit,  some  killed.  The  native  Christians  had  built 
the  barriers.  There  had  been  many  fires,  and  but  for 
the  Eussians  who  fought  so  bravely  at  the  railway 
station  the  place  would  have  been  captured.  While 
Tientsin  was  besieged  it  was  impossible  to  hear  from 
Peking,  or  even  from  Admiral  Seymour  ;  but  21st  June 
saw  the  siege  of  Tientsin  settlement  raised,  though 
Chinese  guns  placed  in  the  native  city  pounded  away  for 
twenty  days  longer.  On  25th  June  a  relieving  column 
marched  out  in  search  of  Seymour.  It  came  up  with  him 
in  one  day,  joining  forces  at  the  arsenal  at  Hsi-ku. 

3 


34  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

He  had  had  sixty-two  killed,  and  had  three  hundred 
and  sixty-two  sick  and  wounded  with  him.  The  whole 
force,  with  the  relievers,  returned  to  Tientsin.  The 
Admiral,  Captain  McCalla,  and  Mr.  Campbell,  who  acted 
as  Intelligence  Officer,  had  been  sniped  and  wounded— 
happily  not  seriously.  In  spite  of  hundreds  of  burst- 
ing shells  and  showers  of  stray  bullets,  the  greatest 
danger  was  from  the  hidden  riflemen,  who  seemed  to 
be  firing  from  every  building  in  the  settlement,  espe- 
cially from  the  warehouses.  To  show  oneself  in  the 
streets  was  to  be  shot  at,  and  only  the  fact  that  these 
Boxer  sympathisers  were  untrained  in  the  use  of  arms 
prevented  an  immense  loss  of  Ufe.  Again  and  again 
suspected  places  would  be  surrounded  and  searched. 
One  coolie  employed  by  a  foreign  firm  fired  a  revolver 
point-blank  at  a  passing  civilian,  but  fortunately 
missed  his  mark.  He  was  seized  and  executed.  It  may 
seem  remarkable  that,  although  the  settlements  were 
bombarded  for  twenty-five  days,  only  five  civilians  were 
killed ;  but  the  large  cellars  of  Tientsin  gave  great 
protection,  and  the  ladies  and  children  spent  most  of 
their  time  in  them.  The  heaviest  shells  exploded  in 
passing  through  the  first  wall  they  struck,  their  frag- 
ments being  blown  all  over  the  room  they  entered, 
but  not  passing  through  a  second  wall.  Thus,  by 
remaining  on  a  floor  below  the  surface,  people  were 
reasonably  safe.  In  the  street  everyone  was  exposed. 
When  no  firing  was  proceeding,  the  ladies  slept  on 
chairs,  on  the  stairs,  and  on  the  floors ;  but  during 


36  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

shelling  they  spent  hours  of  misery  in  those  dark, 
dismal  cellars. 

With  scanty  clothing,  with  little  bedding,  with  none 
of  the  conveniences  of  home,  with  an  unbroken  diet 
of  cold  and  corned  meats  and  biscuits,  and  with  such 
crowded  accommodation,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  what  the 
ladies  and  children  suffered  during  the  many  days  of 
the  bombardment.  The  damage  to  property  was  great. 
Chimneys  and  sections  of  roofs  were  blown  away,  rooms 
dismantled.  Shells  had  pierced  the  walls,  and,  exploding, 
had  fallen  upon  beds  or  on  the  floors.  The  ground  had 
been  torn  up,  and  was  littered  with  fragments  of  common 
shell  and  shrapnel,  as  well  as  rifle  bullets,  which  had 
struck  the  houses  and  fallen.  The  force  of  an  exploding 
shell  in  one  house  w^as  so  great  that  chair  legs  were 
found  sticking  in  the  ceiling,  while  all  the  furniture 
was  reduced  to  fragments.  With  so  many  fires  and 
heavy  bombardments,  everybody  said  "  good-bye "  to 
his  household  treasures. 

It  is  my  pleasant  duty  to  record  the  bravery  of  the 
Russian  troops.  The  railway  station  had  been  attacked, 
and  in  the  battle  that  ensued  the  Russians  lost  no  fewer 
than  one  hundred  men ;  but  the  Chinese  must  have 
lost  three  hundred.  With  all  their  courage,  the 
Cossacks  were  forced  to  send  for  aid.  They  were  re- 
inforced by  the  British,  with  whose  help  they  finally 
repulsed  the  Chinese.  It  had  been  a  critical  time. 
Women's  faces  were  white,  and  men's  were  grave. 
There  had  seemed  little  hope. 


SEVERE  FIGHTING  37 

The  imperial  troops  numbered  five  thousand,  with 
Boxers  innumerable ;  and  if  they  had  attacked  in  a 
body  at  any  particular  point,  no  effectual  resistance 
could  have  been  offered.  For  three  days  fighting  was 
continuous  ;  but  God  was  on  the  side  of  the  women  and 
children.  The  natural  advantages  seemed  to  be  all  with 
the  Chinese.  Matters  had  become  so  serious  that  men 
had  been  appointed  to  shoot  the  women  and  children 
when  it  should  come  to  the  final  stand.  The  men  were 
fighting  night  and  day,  and  were  fast  becoming  ex- 
hausted, while  the  ammunition  threatened  to  give  out. 
There  were  horrible  sights  everywhere.  The  river  was 
fairly  choked  with  bodies,  the  air  was  vile,  the  water 
foul. 

On  13th  July  it  was  decided  to  put  a  stop  to  the  shot 
and  shell  which  had  been  pouring  into  the  settlements 
for  twenty-three  days.  A  council  of  war  was  held  by 
the  Generals,  and  at  5  a.m.  it  was  resolved  to  make 
an  attack  on  the  native  city— British,  Americans,  and 
Japanese  on  the  west  of  the  river,  while  the  Russians 
and  French  were  to  take  the  east.  Said  an  officer,  "  I 
have  seen  fighting  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  but 
never  saw  harder  than  we  had  with  these  untutored 
Chinese.  We  just  got  over  the  wall  or  barrier,  when 
the  Chinese  opened  fire.  Our  men  dropped  like  flies, 
and  were  obliged  to  take  shelter."  They  lay  and  fought 
for  nearly  ten  hours.  The  Chinese  shot  so  well  that 
it  was  with  difficulty  the  hospital  corps  could  get  out 
to  do  its  work. 


38  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

It  was  here  that  the  American  colonel  (Liscomb)  was 
hit,  while  talking  with  a  w^ounded  man.  The  soldiers 
went  almost  wild  when  they  knew  their  commanding 
officer  had  been  killed,  but  they  were  taken  over  by  the 
second  in  command,  and  made  a  charge  by  the  side  of  the 
Japanese.  The  way  these  Japanese  fought  was  a  revela- 
tion. A  regiment  acted  like  one  man.  The  Chinese 
might  shoot  them  down  by  the  dozen,  but  those  left 
did  not  even  waver.  They  were  resolved  on  victory 
all  through. 

It  was  a  picturesque  sight  to  see  the  Allies  attacking 
a  trench  together.  They  seemed  to  understand  each 
other's  methods  of  fighting,  and  they  were  superbly 
brave.  They  were  invincible  from  the  start.  As 
fighters,  the  trained  Chinese  showed  remarkable  ability. 
They  are  utterly  fearless  of  death,  are  good  shots, 
and  their  artillery  was  well  served.  Still,  the  men  will 
run  in  the  face  of  disaster.  Let  one  or  more  become 
panic-stricken  and  start  a  stampede,  and  the  others 
will  follow. 

Brave  deeds  could  be  recoimted  of  all  the  nations.  I 
will  relate  one.  General  Dorward,  the  British  com- 
mander, mentioned  it  in  his  despatches  referring  to  the 
American  9th  Infantry.  "They  were  fighting  about 
twelve  hours,  almost  alone,  and  never  giving  back  a 
foot  of  ground,  until  directed  to  retire  under  cover  of 
night  and  the  fire  of  the  naval  guns.  The  incident  I 
refer  to  was  the  bringing  back  to  me  by  Adjutant- 
Lieutenant  Lawton  of  the  account  of  the  position  of  the 


JAPANESE  BRA  VER  V  39 

regiment,  across  a  wide  and  fire-swept  space,  and  return- 
ing with  reinforcements  to  guide  them  to  his  regiment, 
when  he  was  severely  wounded." 

Now  for  an  example  of  Japanese  bravery.  The  forc- 
ing of  the  south  gate  of  Tientsin  having  been  allotted 
to  the  Japanese,  their  commander  directed  that  the 
outer  gate  should  be  blown  up.  Two  tins  of  gun-cotton 
were  placed  in  position,  and  a  fuse  was  attached  and 
ignited  ;  but  the  heavy  fire  of  the  Chinese  either  cut  the 
fuse  or  blew  out  the  light.  Three  times  it  was  lighted, 
and  as  often  went  out.  At  last  a  Japanese  engineer 
took  a  box  of  matches,  ran  forward,  and  touched  the 
powder.  Immediately  there  was  an  explosion,  which 
blew  man  and  gate  to  atoms.  Others  pressed  forward, 
the  inner  gate  was  opened,  and  the  main  body  ran  in, 
driving  back  the  Chinese  and  punishing  them  severely. 
The  officer  called  his  buglers,  sent  them  on  the  wall, 
and  there  they  played  the  Japanese  National  Anthem. 

There  were  8,000  allied  troops  engaged  that  day,  and 
the  total  loss  was  775,  a  larger  proportion  than  at  Spion 
Kop.  The  Chinese  losses  were  enormous— probably 
not  less  than  3,000.  When  the  battle  was  over,  the 
British  secured  guns  and  boats,  the  Japanese  took  guns 
and  sycee,  the  Eussians  guns,  and  the  Americans 
captured  the  Mint,  from  which  they  took  silver  sufficient 
to  cover  all  the  expenses  of  the  expedition.  There  was 
one  fort  which  the  Eussians  had  decided  to  take  on  the 
morrow,  but  before  they  could  get  to  it  the  Japanese 
had  captured  it. 


40  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

The  heaps  of  the  Chinese  dead  told  how  dearly  they 
had  sold  their  lives,  and  that,  farther  north,  there 
would  be  more  fighting.  But  now  over  this  city  the 
guns  were  no  longer  heard,  and  it  was  again  possible 
to  sleep  at  nights  without  having  to  crawl  into  a  bomb- 
proof cellar.  Once  more  you  might  walk  the  street 
without  fear  of  being  hit  by  snipers.  These  are  a  few  of 
the  blessings  one  can  appreciate  after  a  successful  battle, 
and  those  who  had  the  responsibihty  of  hundreds  of 
Chinese  refugees  sang  with  heartfelt  thankfulness: 

Peace,  perfect  peace,  in  this  dark  world  of  sin? 
The  blood  of  Jesus  whispers  peace  within. 

After  the  battle,  you  see  the  grim,  cruel  side  of 
warfare.  On  the  right  were  the  trenches  occupied  by 
the  Chinese  on  the  eventful  night  on  which  they  tried 
to  rush  the  settlement  in  obedience  to  the  imperial 
decree.  The  assault  was  a  failure.  These  trenches 
were  cleared  by  our  British  tars  ;  but  the  Chinese, 
with  their  wonderful  strategy,  had  already  flooded 
them,  so  that  our  men  stood  up  to  their  knees  in  water. 

During  the  siege  of  Tientsin  there  was  so  much  treach- 
ery about  that  some  of  the  foreigners  demanded  that  all 
Chinese  should  be  put  out  of  the  settlement.  If  this  had 
been  done,  of  course  the  Christians  would  not  have 
been  exempt.  It  was  welt  that  the  plan  was  not  put 
into  practice,  for  the  work  of  the  native  Christians  was 
of  the  greatest  possible  service  in  saving  the  settlement 
from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Under  the 
directions  of  the  troops,  they  in  one  night  raised   a 


BRA  VER  V  OF  NA  TIVE  CHRISTIANS       4 1 

barricade  of  bales  of  camel-wool  two  miles  long  and  two 
bales  high  all  along  the  river  front.  This  side  of  the 
settlement  had  to  be  held  by  our  men,  and,  until  the 
erection  of  this  barricade,  was  open  to  a  deadly  fire 
from  the  Chinese  troops  on  the  opposite  bank,  from 
which  they  kept  up  an  incessant  shower  of  bullets,  which 
fell  for  days  into  the  compounds  all  along  the  river- 
bank.  After  that,  every  street  was  barricaded,  so  that 
every  approach  to  the  settlement  was  blocked  against 
any  sudden  rush  or  attack.  Upwards  of  £15,000 
worth  of  camels'  hair  was  put  upon  the  streets  for  this 
purpose,  and,  in  addition,  vast  quantities  of  hides,  bags 
of  rice  and  beans,  and  boxes  of  condensed  milk  and  soap. 
These  were  either  carted  or  carried  on  the  shoulders 
from  the  storehouses  by  the  native  preachers,  teachers, 
and  scholars  who  had  fled  from  the  horrors  of  the 
surrounding  country  to  Tientsin,  only  to  find  them- 
selves in  no  safer  place.  Most  of  them  were  not  accus- 
tomed to  this  kind  of  labour,  and  did  their  work  under 
heavy  fire.  They  worked  day  and  night  until  their 
arduous  task  was  accomplished,  returning  from  it 
with  blistered  hands  and  aching  bodies.  They  carried 
water,  provisions,  and  ammunition,  dug  graves,  and 
performed  every  kind  of  labour  usually  executed  by 
the  large  coolie  class  in  peaceful  times. 

At  one  time,  when  the  settlement  was  in  desperate 
straits,  and  shells  were  coming  from  a  gun  which  could 
not  be  located  because  of  the  smokeless  powder  used, 
two  men— one  an  old  preacher  and  the  other  his  son— 


42 


FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 


offered  to  go  up  into  the  native  city  and  report  the 
position  of  the  gun.  Two  others  went  through  the 
Boxer  hues  to  the  Admirals  at  Taku,  to  tell  them  of 
our  dire  need.  One  was  captured  and  thrown  into  the 
river ;  the  other  never  returned.  Fifty  of  the  Christian 
converts  carried   loads  of  anmmnition  for  the  British 


A   FUNERAL   PROCESSION. 


twelve-pounder  naval  gun,  which  they  dragged  from  one 
position  to  another  whence  it  might  be  used  to  greater 
advantage.  Twice  they  dragged  it  into  the  open 
under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  enemy,  and,  while  shells 
Avhizzed  close  to  their  heads  and  Imllets  sang  all  around 
them,  they  continued  their  work  bravely,  following 
directions  calmly,  like  men  who  were  not  afraid  to  die. 


BRA  VER  V  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS       43 

They  well  earned  their  protection  and  the  unstinted 
commendation  they  received. 

Men  and  women  who  had  no  regard  or  sympathy 
for  Chi-istian  work  admitted  that  they  had  been  an 
untold  blessing  to  the  settlement.  The  lives  of  many 
soldiers  were  saved  through  the  work  of  these  native 
Christians,  and  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  were  augmented  greatly  by  the  w^ork  of  others 
who  did  the  immense  washings  for  the  hospitals,  compris- 
ing about  four  hundred  articles  per  day. 

The  women  and  girls  were  as  useful  as  the  men.  They 
made  shirts  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  pillows  and 
pillow-slips  for  the  hospitals,  and  grey  caps  to  cover  the 
British  blue-jackets'  straw  hats  which  made  such 
excellent  marks  for  the  enemy.  Our  Christian  women 
and  girls  sat  doing  this  work  in  the  broiling  sun  in 
the  courtyard  while  shells  screeched  over  their  heads 
and  bullets  dropped  at  their  feet.  One  morning  the 
shells  came  more  than  usually  near,  and  w^ere  very 
numerous ;  and  between  the  demoralising  whizzing  and 
swishing  from  the  native  city  w^ould  come  the  answering 
roar  of  the  Allies'  big  gun  from  Ladysmith,  not  a 
hundred  yards  away.  The  natives  being  asked  whether 
they  were  not  afraid,  replied,  "  Oh,  these  pillows  are 
wanted  in  a  great  hurry  at  the  hospital  for  those  good 
men  who  w^ere  injured  for  us." 

Such  as  these  are  the  men  and  women  w4io  make  up 
the  remnant  of  Christ's  Church  in  China  ;  and  such  as 
these  have  died  for  Christ,  by  the  thousand,  rather  than 


44  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

live  and  prove  false  to  Him.  Churches  and  chai^els, 
hospitals  and  schools,  which  stood  as  symbols  in  a  dark 
land  for  all  that  was  good  and  true  and  helpful,  are 
destroyed,  but  temples  of  the  living  God  still  stand— 
the  hearts  of  believers.  What  they  had  to  undergo  is 
well  described  in  Hebrews  xi.  36,  37. 

Away  over  the  plain  and  in  the  city  were  hundreds 
of  dead  and  dying.  Our  hearts  mourned  over  many 
a  mother's  son  who  had  shed  his  blood  to  bear  witness 
to  the  world  that,  where  helpless  women  and  children 
are  being  butchered,  shelled,  and  shot,  Christianity 
is  not  a  dead  letter,  but  an  impelling  force,  urging  men 
to  face  even  death,  if  thereby  the  helpless  can  be  saved. 
All  honom^  to  the  allied  armies  and  their  brave  dead 
left  on  the  battlefield  ! 

In  and  around  the  city  heaps  of  dead  Chinese  lay 
awaiting  arrangements  for  cremation.  Prisoners  were 
told  off  to  gather  them  in  heaps,  to  cover  them  with 
doors  and  windows  taken  from  houses,  and  then  to 
burn  them.  We  turned  away  from  these  sickening 
sights  and  smells ;  but  the  horrible  visions  remained 
still  pictured  before  our  eyes,  and  even  now  in 
dreams  disturb  us.  Back  to  our  home  we  went. 
What  a  change  had  taken  place  in  this  mission 
house  !  Upstairs  and  downstairs  wounded  men  w^ere 
being  treated  by  the  doctors— legs  and  arms  were 
being '  amputated,  bullets  being  extracted.  Sighs 
went  up  for  dear  ones  far  away— a  wife,  a  mother, 
a  child ;  yet  even  here  we  could  lighten  the  cares  of 


BURYING  THE  DEAD 


45 


the  poor  fellows  by  telling  tliem  of  the  great  Burden- 
bearer  who  has  made  provision  for  every  need. 

To  remain  longer  in  this  atmosphere  was  too  painful, 
so  we  sought  out  a  quiet  spot  across  the  road,  with 
the  two  hundred  Christian  refugees  saved  from  the 
fury  of  their  own  people.  To  these  we  turned  for  a 
quiet  hour,  and  with  them,  on  bended  knee,  joined  in 


^^L 

C^CTtlTnr 'tJ 

J^^^H^HI^ 

REMAINS   OF   THE   METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHUllCH,    TIENTSIN. 


prayer,  as  we  had  rarely  prayed  before,  thanking  God, 
in  the  Chinese  language— with  heartfelt  assents  from 
a  large  congregation— that  He,  the  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords,  had  given  victory  to  our  arms,  and 
had  spared  so  many  to  go  forth  and  bear  witness  in 
the  future  to  His  transcendent  power  to  preservie  His 
people. 


CHAPTER  IV 


SIR   ROBERT   HART  S    MESSAGE 


MAKE  haste !  make  haste  !     Ah  !  list  the  frenzied  cry 
We  fling  across  the  world.     Will  none  reply  ? 
While  powers  pause,  while  armies  vacillate, 
We  vainly  pray  for  help.     Come  not  too  late  ! 

Make  haste  !  make  haste !     Once  more  that  broken  cr}^ ; 
Once  more  we  shriek  it  forth  before  we  die. 
Women  and  children  fail,  children  and  wives ; 
Save  them,  great  God  !     We  yield  instead  our  lives. 

Make  haste  !  make  haste  !     Feeble,  yet  frantic  cry  ! 
Will  no  one  hear  ?     Say,  is  not  rescue  nigh  1 
We  slowly  perish.     Powers,  nations,  hear 
Thy  countrymen's  appeal !  thy  people's  prayer  ! 

Make  haste  !  make  haste  !     The  plunderers  at  our  gate 
Announce  with  raging  roar  our  s]Deedy  fate ; 
How  long  can  we  withstand  bullet  and  ball, 
Starvation,  parching  heat,  before  we  fall  ? 

Make  haste  !  make  haste  !     Cold  is  our  colleague's  brow  ; 
He  whom  we  loved  lies  bleeding,  butchered,  low  ; 
While  round  our  walls  his  murderers  scream  and  yell. 
Drunk  with  the  blood  they  shed  when  Ketteler  fell. 

Make  haste  !   make  haste !     Oh,  what  is  that  we  hear  ? 
The  tramp  of  allied  armies  drawing  near. 
Delusive  dream  !     'Tis  Chinese  pillage — waste  ; 
Our  strength  is  well-nigh  spent.     Brothers,  make  haste  ! 

E.  M.  D'A. 

46 


CHINESE  OFFICIALS  IMPLICATED        47 

Sentiments  such  as  these  were  ringing  in  the  ears 
of  soldier  and  civihan  aUke  after  the  fall  of  the  native 
city  at  Tientsin,  where  no  fewer  than  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-five  of  our  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded, 
and  the  gallant  Colonel  Liscomb  had  lost  his  life.  And 
at  last  there  came  the  message  from  Sir  Robert  Hart  in 
Peking  :  "  The  situation  is  desperate.  Make  haste !  " 
It  was  stitched  between  the  soles  of  a  sham  beggar's 
shoe.  He  had  been  let  down  in  a  basket  outside  the 
sixty-feet-high  wall  which  runs  round  the  city,  had 
begged  his  way  through  the  Boxer  lines,  and  at  last 
had  reached  us  in  Tientsin. 

Then  all  became  excitement.  Through  the  ruins  of 
the  foreign  settlement  an  eager  cosmopolitan  crowd 
was  jostling  shoulders— Indians,  Cossacks,  Americans, 
English,  Germans,  and  French.  After  having  been  so 
long  confined  to  cellars,  resident  civilians  w^elcomed 
with  delight  the  luxury  of  walking  about  and  the  im- 
munity from  bullets.  The  capture  of  the  native  city  by 
the  allied  troops  on  15th  July  had  been  so  unexjoected  by 
the  Chinese,  that  the  officials  of  the  various  treasuries, 
yamens,  and  mints  had  not  had  time  to  hide  their 
treasure  or  destroy  incriminating  documents  before 
beating  a  retreat.  I^  with  a  cavalry  captain,  had  orders 
to  visit  the  Viceroy's  yamen,  under  the  "  pass "  of  the 
Russian  general,  who  was  in  possession  of  the  place,  to 
bring  away  valuable  papers  left  there  by  the  Viceroy. 
These  showed  beyond  a  doubt  that  he  was  the  recog- 
nised head  of  the  Boxer  movement  in  the  district.     We 


48  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

found  the  Viceroy's  day-book,  in  which  many  entries 
were  made  of  money  paid  to  the  Boxers  for  help  received; 
and  also  several  Boxer  proclamations,  all  demanding 
the  extermination  of  foreigners.  Black  and  compromis- 
ing as  these  were  in  face  of  the  imperial  memorandum 
drawn  up  for  the  Chinese  Ministers  in  London  and 
Wasliington,  they  are  almost  mild  when  compared  with 
some  of  earlier  date  found  in  the  same  book.  Petty 
foreign  loot  was  frequently  referred  to  in  this  record. 
Its  possession  seemed  to  have  been  regarded  as  proof 
of  foreign  defeat,  a^nd  as  such  was  rewarded.  No 
monetary  expenditure  was  to  be  spared  if  it  could 
hasten  the  fulfilment  of  the  object  sought. 

The  fu^st  new^s  of  the  massacre  of  missionaries  was 
found  in  a  letter  written  from  Pao-ting-fu  on  6th  July 
by  the  Provincial  Treasurer  to  the  Viceroy.  The  four 
officials  implicated  were  condemned— partly  on  their 
own  letters,  found  at  this  time— and  executed  by  the 
alhed  troops.  One  of  the  officials  executed  had  written 
to  the  Viceroy  that  the  Catholic  village  of  Tung-liu  had 
defied  the  Boxers  for  nearly  three  months.  The  people 
had  thrown  up  a  rampart  and  bought  a  few  Mauser 
rifles  ;  the  Catholic  priests  had  taken  command,  and  so 
far  they  had  withstood  the  Boxer  attacks.  He  added 
that  three  thousand  taels^  had  been  offered  as  a 
reward  to  any  man  who  would  devise  a  scheme  to 
capture  or  annihilate  the  people,  and  destroy  the 
village;  but  so  far  without  avail. 

^  Tael,  worth  about  three  shillings  or  seventy-five  gold  cents. 


DISCO  VER  Y  OF  A  RMS  49 

The  commanders  of  forts  along  the  coast  and  on  the 
river  were  responsible  to  the  Viceroy,  and  many  of  their 
reports  and  despatches  were  not  only  useful  but  amusing. 
The  fort  of  Hsin-cheng  was  taken  early  in  July  by  the 
allied  forces  ;  but,  to  the  surprise  of  the  officer  command- 
ing the  attacking  force,  few  guns  were  to  be  found, 
and  they  were  obsolete.  A  despatch  from  the  Chinese 
commander  to  the  Viceroy  informs  him  of  the  disaster ; 
but  he  adds,  "  The  '  foreign  devils '  will  never  find  my 
guns ;  they  are  under  the  floor  of  the  powder  magazine  "  ! 

A  despatch  from  the  Chinese  officer  commanding  the 
fort  at  Pei-tsang  told  of  his  anxiety  when  he  saw  the 
"  foreigners  coming  in  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Taku 
Eiver  like  bees."  "  My  torpedoes  are  few,  ammunition 
scarce,  soldiers  are  deserting,  and,  in  fact,  I  live  a  year 
in  one  day."  The  allied  troops  delayed  visiting  this  fort 
till  October,  when  they  found  it  deserted ;  but  the 
Chinese  had  laid  powder-mines  all  round,  and  no  fewer 
than  eighty  allied  soldiers  were  killed  while  walking 
over  these  hidden  instruments  of  destruction.  Thus  the 
time  given  to  the  Chinese  was  a  mistake  for  which  we 
dearly  paid. 

Inside  the  yamen  we  found  a  cage,  about  fifteen 
feet  square,  made  of  timbers  four  inches  thick.  We  also 
found  a  proclamation,  clearly  showing  that  the  cage  was 
meant  for  the  captured  foreigners,  and  the  people  were 
exhorted  to  turn  all  such  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
the  Viceroy  till  they  could  be  otherwise  disposed  of. 
In  the  yamen  yard  were  two  bomb-proof  cellars,  besides 

4 


50 


FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 


one  under  the  floor  of  the  yamen,  about  twelve  feet 
square,  the  tops  being  level  with  the  ground.  A  large 
quantity  of  shields,  rifles,  swords,  and  ammunition  were 
lying  about  the  yard  in  great  profusion. 

It  was  on  4th  June,  the  day  I  left  it,  that  Peking  could 
first  be  called  a  besieged  city.     On  that  day  the  last 


boxers'  shields  found  in  the  viceroy's  yamen. 


passengers  came  out.  TraveUing  over  burning  bridges 
and  through  the  Boxer  lines,  we  reached  Tientsin  in 
safety.  Immediately  afterwards  the  line  was  destroyed, 
bridges  and  stations  were  burned,  and  none  of  our 
friends  who  said  they  "would  come  down  by  the  next 
train"  escaped,  but  remained  immured  in  Peking 
throughout  the  siege. 

On  8th  June  the  American  Congregational  station 


THE  GERMAN  MINISTER  KILIED        51 

at  Tung-chow,  thirteen  miles  east  of  Peking,  was 
attacked,  and  men,  women,  and  children  were  obliged 
to  seek  shelter  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  mission 
house  at  Peking.  When  all  had  reached  the  com- 
pound, there  were  about  seventy-five  missionaries, 
twenty-five  American  marines,  and  six  hundred  native 
Christians  —  with  small-pox  and  scarlet  fever  rife. 
After  Baron  Von  Ketteler  had  been  killed,  it  was  to  this 
compound  that  his  secretary  made  his  escape ;  he  fell, 
bleeding  and  unconscious,  at  the  gate.  Taken  into  the 
beautiful  Asbury  Church,  he  received  every  attention  it 
was  possible  to  give  under  the  circumstances.  Asbury 
Church  was  built  three  years  ago  by  the  Eev.  Frank 
Gamewell,  and  by  common  consent  was  recognised  as 
the  largest  and  most  beautiful  Protestant  church  for 
Chinese  in  China.  This  building  was  loopholed,  doors 
were  built  up,  and  a  barbed  wire  fence  was  put  round  it, 
in  preparation  for  the  coming  siege.  Stocks  of  rice 
and  bitter  water  were  laid  in. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  on  20th  June,  the 
day  Baron  Von  Ketteler  was  killed.  At  this  time  the 
regular  soldiers  were  camping  on  the  top  of  the  city  wall, 
which  is  forty  feefwide,  and  in  close  proximity  to  Asbury 
Church.  The  place  was  as  strong  as  it  could  be  made ; 
but  it  was  declared  untenable,  owing  to  its  nearness  to 
the  wall.  While  there  was  time,  it  was  thought  wise  to 
vacate  the  place,  form  a  procession,  and  march  for  con- 
centration and  mutual  protection  to  the  British  Lega- 
tion, about  one  mile  away.    There  were  old  men,  delicate 


52  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

ladies,  and  little  children,  carrying  all  they  could  closely 
packed  in  a  small  bag  or  box.  Many  high-souled, 
devoted  men  took  part  in  this  procession— Chauncey 
Goodrich,  George  Davis,  the  senior  men  of  the  largest 
missions  in  North  China  ;  also  Hobart,  Verity,  Walker, 
the  noble  band  of  lady  missionaries,  and  all  the  little 
children.  Some  had  laboured  foi*  the  Chinese  for 
thirty  years.  Their  literary  work  at  this  time  was 
perishing  in  the  flames.  Not  so  the  fruit  of  their  labour 
in  the  hearts  of  men,  for  at  that  very  moment  there 
were  those  of  their  spiritual  children  who  were  losing 
their  heads  rather  than  deny  their  Lord  and  Master. 
On  this  memorable  occasion  they  w^ere  all  driven  by 
circumstances,  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  from  American- 
owned  property,  leaving  all  their  earthly  possessions— 
their  home,  and  all  that  means  in  an  alien  land  like 
China— not  because  they  w^ere  Christians  especially, 
but  because  they  were  foreigners.  Strange  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  in  spite  of  a  treaty  with  a  sup- 
posed civilised  country,  that  in  the  capital  of  that 
country  the  subjects  of  the  other  parties  to  the  treaty 
not  only  received  no  protection,  but  that  more  than 
one  hundred  of  them  should  lose  their  lives  at  the  hands 
of  those  who  were  bound  to  afford  it. 

On  their  arrival  at  the  Legation,  there  was  some 
hesitation  about  finding  accommodation  for  the  native 
Christian  refugees,  and  Professor  James,  of  the  Imperial 
University,  lost  his  life  that  day  while  seeking  for 
quarters  for  the  poor  helpless  converts  who  had  accepted 


SUFFERINGS  OF  THE  BESIEGED  53 

Christianity  as  their  faith  and  were  now  in  danger  of 
finding  "  no  room  in  the  inn."  Yet  this  is  what  hap- 
pened to  their  Lord  and  Master.  To  Dr.  Morrison, 
the  Times  correspondent,  belongs  not  a  httle  of  the 
credit  of  saving  the  native  Christians  from  being  turned 
loose  into  the  Boxer  lines  to  be  murdered.  A  place  was 
found  for  them  at  last ;  and  it  is  well  that  this  was  so, 
for  all  the  barricades  here,  as  in  Tientsin,  were  built  by 
the  native  Christians,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
missionaries. 

Out  of  fifty-six  days  not  one  was  free  from  shot  and 
shell,  and  for  thirty  days  there  was  a  perfect  storm  of 
lead,  while  fires  raged  all  around ;  the  enemy  mean- 
while pouring  shell  over  the  w^all  like  demons.  This 
siege  was  more  desperate  than  that  of  either  Lady- 
smith  or  Kimberley.  If  these  places  had  succumbed 
to  the  Boers,  some  mercy  would  have  been  shown 
towards  w^omen  and  children ;  but  not  so  by  the 
Boxers.  No  quarter,  no  mercy ;  the  same  fate  which 
overtook  the  poor  people  at  Pao-ting-fu  and  Tai-yeun- 
fu  awaited  them.  This  was  the  dread  of  all  the 
foreigners  in  Peking,  and,  while  hoping  for  the  best, 
they  determined  that  neither  women  nor  children 
should  fall  alive  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  but  that 
each  man  should  perform  for  those  dependent  on  him 
that  pittance  of  a  merciful  deed  like  that  of  the  soldier 
who  shoots  his  lame  war-horse  to  put  him  out  of  his 
misery. 

At  this  juncture,  and  when  hope  w^as  almost  gone, 


54  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

there  appeared  a  ray  of  light.  One  of  the  faithful 
messengers  from  Tientsin  had  succeeded  in  evading 
the  vigilance  of  Chinese  watchfulness,  and  had  squeezed 
himself  between  the  bars  of  the  sluice-gate  of  the  Tartar 
city,  and,  with  a  despatch  stitched  between  the  double 
lining  of  his  hat,  had  brought  word  that "  Tientsin  native 
city  had  fallen,  that  Seymour  had  returned,  and  that 
efforts  would  be  made  as  early  as  possible  to  relieve 
Peking."  It  may  be  imagined  how  that  news  flew 
through  the  Legation,  and  from  that  moment  the  faith 
of  the  despondent  began  to  rise.  The  Christian  men  and 
women  were  those  who  did  not  despair ;  and  those  who 
made  no  profession  of  Christianity,  but  who  knew  of 
the  prayers  offered  on  their  behalf,  were  encouraged 
to  believe  that  those  petitions  and  prayers  would  be 
heard  and  answered.  Only  by  one— and  he  an  atheist 
—did  I  hear  it  said  that  "  there  was  not  a  ray  of 
hope." 

The  sufferings  of  the  besieged  were  increased  by  the 
fact  that  the  siege  began  in  the  summer,  many  of  the 
children  dying  from  the  intense  heat  and  the  inability 
of  their  parents  to  secure  proper  food  for  them.  As 
for  meat,  horse  and  mule  had  to  be  the  staple  diet.  There 
was  a  little  mutton,  but  that  w^as  reserved  for  invalids. 
There  w^as  one  cow,  but  what  was  she  to  eight  hundred 
claimants  for  her  milk  ?  No  milk,  little  butter,  sugar 
scarce,  rice  musty.  Many  of  the  people  starved  them- 
selves rather  than  eat  what  many  a  dog  would  refuse. 
This  is  no  imaginary  picture,  but  a  statement  of  facts 


GENEKAL   SIR   ALFRED   GASELEE. 


56  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

learned  from  the  lips  of  those  best  able  to  speak.  The 
Chinese  bugles,  with  their  hoarse  cry,  which  sounds 
like  "  Mur-Der,''  could  be  heard  incessantly.  The 
nerves  of  the  poor  people  in  the  Legation  were  shattered 
by  the  revelation  of  ravening  hate  manifested  in  the 
wild-beast  yells  of  the  foul  yellow  wretches  outside  the 
walls  ;  and,  humanly  speaking,  they  were  powerless. 
The  Boxers  had  no  rifles,  but  the  regulars  had.  The 
former  had  the  most  dreadful  weapon  in  the  world— 
Fire  I— and  what  human  power  can  combat  it  ? 

From  15th  July,  when  the  native  city  of  Tientsin 
fell,  till  4th  August,  when  the  march  to  Peking  began, 
not  a  day  was  wasted.  All  was  hurry  and  bustle,  in 
preparation  for  the  coming  ninety-miles  march  through 
an  enemy's  country.  The  generals  who  were  in  com- 
mand before  Chaffee,  Gaselee,  and  Barrow  arrived,  had 
decided  that  14th  August  was  the  earliest  possible 
moment  at  which  the  march  could  be  commenced. 
But  we  owe  it  to  General  Gaselee,  the  British  commander, 
that  we  started  exactly  ten  days  earlier  than  that  date. 
The  difficulties  of  the  situation  were  enormous.  It 
was  the  "  rainy  season,"  when  no  one  dreams  of  taking 
a  wheeled  vehicle  along  the  road  to  Peking  ;  there 
was  a  determined  enemy  to  oppose  us,  with  millions 
of  men  to  draw  upon  ;  and,  while  Admiral  Seymour 
had  said  that  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  with 
fewer  than  fifty  thousand  men  to  reach  Peking, 
the  Allies  could  muster  no  more  than  twenty-five 
thousand. 


PREPARING  TO  MARCH  57 

General  Gaselee  came  to  us  on  25tli  July  fresh  from 
shipboard,  with  his  mind  and  heart  full  of  the  deeds  of 
Havelock  and  the  famous  march  of  Eoberts.  Of  his 
ability  to  relieve  Peking  he  was  convinced,  and  we  must 
"  make  haste."  All  must  bend  to  the  urgency  of  the 
situation.  He  had  not  seen  Admiral  Seymour  and 
Captain  McCalla  setting  out  with  two  thousand  men  and 
without  a  single  gun,  determined  to  relieve  Peking  by 
rail  within  twenty-four  hours,  and  then  returning,  some 
limping,  some  carried  back  to  Tientsin— after  a  loss  of 
62  killed  and  362  sick  and  wounded— under  the  escort 
of  the  force  which  had  gone  to  rescue  them.  He  had 
not  seen  the  battle  of  Tientsin  or  the  accurate  firing 
which  cost  us  so  dearly.  It  was  well  that  he  had  not, 
or  he  might  have  hesitated  to  march  so  soon.  General 
Chaffee  had  just  arrived,  and  gladly  fell  in  with  the 
British  general's  suggestions ;  while  the  Japanese 
general,  Yamagutchi,  with  more  soldiers  than  any 
other  commander,  w^as  also  pleased  to  join  in  an  early 
march  on  the  besieged  city. 

The  American,  English,  and  Japanese  generals, 
having  decided  to  march  at  once,  went  to  consult  the 
Eussian  and  French  commanders.  Many  and  varied 
were  the  objections  urged  against  an  early  move ;  but 
these  were  over-ruled  by  the  combined  three,  and  the 
Eussian  and  French  generals  were  informed  that  "  they 
would  be  given  the  alternative  of  going  with  us  now, 
or  alone  at  their  own  pleasure."  After  further  discussion 
the  Eussian  general  consented  to  join  forces  with  us  on 


58  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

one  condition,  namely,  "That  the  Biitish  do  not  lead 
the  column  and  carry  off  all  honours."  The  honour  of 
getting  there  first  was  more  to  him  than  was  the  saving 
of  the  Uves  of  the  eight  hundred  besieged.  The  assur- 
ance was  given  by  Gaselee ;  but,  notwithstanding,  this 
did  not  prevent  the  Anglo-Saxons  from  being  the  first 
to  enter  the  Legation,  and  that,  too,  about  seven  hours 
before  the  Eussians.    "  God's  in  heaven,  and  alFs  well/' 

At  a  conference  of  Generals,  held  on  3rd  August,  it 
was  decided  to  commence  the  advance  on  the  following 
day,  with  approximately  20,000  men,  namely : 

10,000  Japanese,  ^vith  24  guns. 

4,000  Eussians,  with  16  guns. 

3,000  British,  with  12  guns. 

2,000  Americans,  with  6  guns. 

800  French,  with  12  guns. 

300  Germans  and  ItaUans. 

This  decision  was  no  surprise  to  us  who  knew  that 
preparations  were  nearing  completion,  though  these 
preparations  had  assumed  importance  to  myself  only 
since  20th  July,  when  I  was  requested  to  join  the  staff 
of  the  Intelligence  Department.  Probably  the  reasons 
for  my  appointment  were— first,  my  long  residence  in 
and  intimate  knowledge  of  this  part  of  China ;  second, 
my  having  found  valuable  papers  in  the  Viceroy's 
yamen;  third,  Mr.  Kinder,  K.C.M.G.,  and  others 
having  strongly  recommended  me  for  the  post. 

It  had  been  suggested  that  a  consular  or  government 
official  should  be  appointed,  and  my  selection  was  a 


THE  ADVANCE 


59 


great  surprise  to  me,  and  for  family  reasons  I  preferred 
not  to  go.  To  overcome  my  scruples,  I  was  offered 
liberal  pay ;  but,  after  thought  and  prayer,  I  informed 
General  Gaselee  that  "  If  I  go  to  Peking,  it  will  be  for 


Mil.    LUli-Clli-.MI.NG. 


humanity's  sake,  and  not  for  the  money.*'  In  the  end  1 
agreed  to  take  the  post.  A  pension  in  case  of  accident, 
and  provision  for  my  family  in  case  of  need,  were 
arranged  satisfactorily ;  so  that,  at  the  appointed  time, 
I  was  ready  to  march  with  the  column.     Mr.  Loh-chi- 


6o  FROM  TIENTSIlSr  TO  PEKING 

ming,  graduate  of  the  Peking  University,  was  engaged 
as  Chinese  assistant,  and  several  Christian  students 
were  to  accompany  us  as  scouts. 

The  following  copy  of  "  General  Orders "  will  be 
interesting  to  the  reader,  as  showing  the  form  in 
which  such  orders  are  issued  to  an  army  about  to 
move : 


China  Expeditionary  Force  Orders,  Tientsin. 
4^/i  A.ugu8t,  1900. 

140.  Movements. 

(1)  The  enemy  is  in  position  in  the  direction  of  Pei- 

tsang  on  both  banks  of  the  Pei-ho.  The  posi- 
tion is  believed  to  be  entrenched  with  outposts 
thrown  forward. 

(2)  The   Eussian,   French,  and   German  forces  will 

operate  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Pei-ho; 
the  British,  Americans,  and  Japanese  on  the 
right  bank. 

(3)  The  British  forces  will  march  to  Hsi-ku  to-day, 
where  they  will  bivouac  for  the  night. 

(4)  The  British  forces  will  march  in  the  order  given 

below— 

Eoyal  Welsh  Fusiliers  with   advance    guard    of 

one  company. 
Detachment  Eoyal  Engineers. 
One  field  troop  1st  Bengal  Lancers. 


GENERAL  ORDERS  6i 

Headquarters  Staff  of  Division. 

One-half  company  1st  Sikhs  (general  officer 
commanding's  escort). 

12th  Battery  Eoyal  Field  Artillery. 

R.  7  Ammunition  Column  Unit. 

Hong-kong  Eoyal  Artillery. 

1st  Brigade  Staff. 

7th  Eajputs,  less  one  company. 

1st  Sikhs.  1 

Chinese  Eegiment. 

1st  Bengal  Lancers. 

Divisional  and  Brigade  Headquarters  Trans- 
port. 

Commissariat  and  Transport. 

Field  Hospitals. 

Eear-guard,  one  company  7th  Eajputs. 

(5)  The  route  will  be  by  the  Temperance  Hall  on 
the  Taku  road,  through  the  Chinese  city,  enter- 
ing by  the  soulji  gate  and  over  the  iron  bridge 
to  Hsi-ku.  The  road  to  be  followed  will  be 
shown  by  the  Deputy-Assistant-Quartermaster- 
General  for  Intelligence,  who  will  head  the 
column. 

(6)  The  troops  will  keep  closed  up  as  much  as  pos- 

sible ;  water  -  bottles  will  be  filled  with  boiled 
water  or  tea,  and  all  mussacks  filled  with  good 
water. 

(7)  The  head  of  the  column  will  leave  the  Temper- 

ance Hall  at  2.30   p.m.      Officers  commanding 


62  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

units  will  hold  their  units  in  readiness  to  join 
the  Une  of  march  in  the  order  detailed  above. 
No  interval  between  units. 

(8)  Camp  colour  men  of  all  units  and  one  officer  or 
non-commissioned  officer  per  unit  will  accom- 
pany the  advance  guard. 

(9)  No  fires  or  cooking  will  be  allowed  in  bivouac 
to-night. 

(ATofe.— All  units  not  mentioned  in  paragraph 
4  had  marched  to  Hsi-ku  the  previous 
evening.) 

•^      '  B]j  Order, 

E.  G.  Baerow,  Major-General, 

Chief  of  the  Staff, 

China  Expeditionary  Force. 


CHAPTER  V  : : 

BATTLES    OF    PEI-TSANG   AND    YANG-TSUN 

THE  Intelligence  Department  was  responsible  for 
the  preparation  of  a  map  of  each  day's  march, 
and  that  on  the  scale  of  one  inch  to  a  mile.  This  gave 
every  village  and  road,  with  as  much  fm-ther  informa- 
tion as  the  scouts  had  been  able  to  secure,  the  nimiber 
of  guns  and  their  positions,  the  trenches  of  the  enemy  ; 
in  fact,  the  map  became  as  important  to  the  officer  as  a 
chart  is  to  a  captain  at  sea.  Besides  the  map,  a  written 
description  of  the  morrow's  march,  the  probable  number 
of  the  enemy  and  their  positions,  with  roads  and  their 
condition,  was  prepared.  Each  staff  officer  being  pro- 
vided with  both  map  and  description,  the  column  is 
ready  to  march. 

Two  Christian  students  had  acted  as  scouts  five  days 
before  we  marched.  They  had  gone  a  round-about  way 
towards  Tang-shan,  and  had  met  twenty  Chinese  coolies, 
who  had  been  working  on  the  Eussian  railway  in  Man- 
churia, but  had  decided  to  return  to  their  homes,  south 
of  Tientsin,  owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country. 
Our  young  men  were  glad  to  tack  themselves  on  to  this 


64  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

party,  the  more  so  since  they  had  decided  to  pass  through 
the  Chinese  camp  at  Pei-tsang,  which  was  the  first 
place  at  which  we  expected  to  meet  the  Chinese  in  battle 
on  our  march  to  Peking.  On  entering  the  place,  they 
noticed  that  the  east  bank  of  the  river  had  been  cut, 
and  a  low-lying  section  of  the  country,  about  twenty 
miles  in  extent,  had  been  flooded.  The  bed  of  the  river 
at  this  point  is  higher  than  the  surrounding  coimtry, 
so  that  flooding  was  easily  accomplished,  and  proved 
an  effectual  barrier  against  the  Eussian  and  French 
troops'  advance  on  the  east  of  the  river.  The  scouts 
looked  round,  and  took  note  of  the  size  and  number  of 
the  gims.  They  noticed  a  ditch  by  the  side  of  the  rail- 
way embankment,  six  feet  deep  and  about  thirty  wide. 
The  coolies  tried  to  hire  a  boat,  but  were  refused,  being 
informed  that  "  many  torpedoes  were  laid  in  the  river." 
Then  they  proposed  to  take  the  main  road  and  walk ; 
but  from  that  also  they  were  debarred :  "  there  were 
many  powder -mines  along  the  road."  Finally,  they 
were  informed  that  they  could  go  round  by  the 
powder  magazine  on  the  west,  which  would  bring  them 
to  a  branch  of  the  Grand  Canal,  and  in  this  way  they 
might  reach  their  homes.  This  route  they  took,  and 
a  wide  detour  brought  them  to  the  south  of  Tientsin, 
when  our  scouts  made  for  us  as  speedily  as  they  could. 
When  they  had  reported  themselves  to  me,  I  took  them 
to  the  headquarters  office,  where  the  Indian  surveyors, 
with  Captain  Eyder  at  their  head,  entered  all  their 
information  on  the  maps. 


NATIVE  CHRISTIAN  SCOUTS  65 

The  next  morning  at  daylight  two  officers  rode  out 
as  far  as  possible,  mounted  the  top  of  a  Chinese  house, 
and,  with  the  aid  of  their  field-glasses,  verified,  so  far 
as  they  could,  the  rough  draft  made.  Before  they  had 
finished,  a  Chinese  outpost  discovered  them,  and  they 
had  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat  with  bullets  flying  all  round. 
On  their  returning  to  camp,  the  maps  were  printed 
and  distributed  to  the  staff  officers.  This  routine  was 
followed  daily,  and  the  information  thus  received  could 
not  have  been  obtained  but  by  the  help  of  these  native 
Christian  scouts,  who  went  about  facing  great  danger, 
even  death,  to  make  the  rescue  of  the  Legations  possible. 

Very  few  of  the  men  sent  out  ever  returned.  Many 
were  shot ;  one  saved  his  life  by  swallowing  his  message. 
In  Peking  soldiers  were  told  off  specially  to  shoot  any- 
one attempting  to  communicate  with  the  Legations. 
One  of  our  men  went  to  Peking,  but  was  obliged  to 
return  to  us,  being  imable  to  communicate  with  the 
besieged.  The  last  message  sent  in  was  sewn  betw^een 
the  double  lining  of  a  man's  hat. 

Immense  sums  of  money  were  offered  to  men  who 
would  carry  messages.  Before  the  relief  of  Peking 
had  been  effected,  so  much  as  £1,000  was  offered  and 
refused,  so  many  men  having  been  killed  in  the  attempt. 
In  this  instance  the  money  was  offered  by  the  Italian 
Government,  who  wished  to  communicate  with  its 
Minister. 

On  4th  August  general  orders  read  :  "  Take  one 
day's  rations  ;  no  fires  or  cooking  will  be  allowed  in 

5 


66  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

bivouac  to-night/'  As  the  hour  for  departure  ap- 
proached, all  was  bustle,  but  there  was  little  noise  and 
no  music.  Five  armies  about  to  take  the  field, 
resolute,  despite  all  opposition,  to  raise  the  siege  of 
Peking  !  How  many  men  will  live  to  return  ?  When 
shall  we  reach  Peking  ?  Shall  we  find  them  alive  in 
the  Legation  ?  These  and  a  score  of  similar  questions 
coursed  through  one's  mind  at  such  a  time.  Alas  ! 
many  a  fine  healthy  fellow  w^ent  out,  light-hearted 
and  gay,  that  Satin-day  afternoon,  whose  bones  now 
lie  whitening  under  China's  sun,  while  many  more 
returned  crippled  and  maimed  for  life. 

To  the  minute,  the  Generals  with  their  staffs  took 
their  places  each  at  the  head  of  his  army.  First,  General 
Gaselee  with  his  force,  mostly  composed  of  Indians. 
Then  followed  General  Chaffee,  with  the  brave  14th 
Infantry  and  Eeilly's  battery  ;  and  next  the  Japanese 
general,  Yamagutchi,  with  his  brave  little  men.  Leav- 
ing the  settlement,  we  marched  out  west,  on  to  the 
plain,  taking  a  wide  sweep  to  the  south  gate  of  the 
native  city,  which  had  been  so  well  defended  by  the 
Chinese  a  few  days  before.  Entering  the  city  through 
the  south  gate  and  leaving  it  by  the  north,  we  slowly 
marched  towards  Hsi-ku,  where  Admiral  Seymour  and 
Captain  McCalla  had  entrenched  themselves  in  the 
arsenal,  in  which  they  were  fortunate  in  discovering  im- 
mense stores  of  guns  and  ammunition,  most  of  which  they 
were  obliged  to  destroy,  being  unable  to  bring  them  away. 

To  look  back  on  the  coluran  was  to  see  a  long,  narrow 


ON  THE  MARCH  67 

line  of  khaki  -  dressed  human  beings  moving  slowly; 
from  its  winding  form,  it  gave  one  the  idea  of  a  serpent 
wriggling  its  way  along.  At  its  head  were  the  pictur- 
esque uniforms  of  the  Generals  and  staff,  followed  by 
the  fine  Indian  soldiers,  mounted  on  their  beautiful 
horses.  Then  came  the  gallant  Welsh  Fusiliers ;  while 
the  well-set,  business-like  United  States  infantrymen 
marched  next,  burning  to  avenge  the  slaughter  the  9th 
Infantry  had  suffered  ten  days  before.  Then  came  the 
Japanese  general,  with  his  soldiers  in  white  clothes  ; 
they  seemed  fitted  to  run  in  where  the  others  were  too 
big  to  pass.  The  rear-guard  of  the  column  did  not  arrive 
till  the  early  hours  of  the  morning.  A  snack  of  "  bully 
beef  "  and  biscuit  and  a  drink  of  cold  tea  made  up  the 
sum  total  of  the  evening  meal ;  while  bed  was  found  on 
mother  earth,  with  a  blanket  and  oilcloth  as  protection 
from  the  damp. 

At  2  a.m.  the  next  morning  (Simday)  the  order  was 
given  to  march.  No  bugle  calls  were  sounded,  and 
every  movement  was  performed  almost  in  silence. 
The  three  armies  advanced  in  three  columns :  Japanese 
on  the  left,  Americans  in  the  centre,  British  on  the  right 
next  to  the  river-bank,  and  on  the  old  road  to  Peking. 
At  3  a.m.  the  Chinese  guns  began  to  boom  at  us,  and 
continued  without  ceasing  until  10  a.m.  It  was  late 
before  the  assault  on  the  enemy  was  made.  This  work 
was  entrusted  to  the  Japanese  ;  it  was  the  post  of 
honour,  it  being  believed  that  the  left  wing  held  the 
key  to  the  Chinese  position.    They  moved  up  as  closely 


68  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

as  if  on  parade,  and  being  in  close  order  were  shot 
down  witli  great  rapidity.  But,  when  one  fell,  there 
were  three  to  take  his  place.  Military  critics  said 
their  formation  was  defective,  and  their  white  clothing 
was  too  good  a  target  for  the  enemy.  However  this 
might  be,  they  took  the  powder  magazine  at  consider- 
able loss  to  themselves.  Upwards  of  one  hundred  of 
their  men  were  killed;  but  the  Krupp  guns  were 
secured,  and  this  mpre  than  compensated  to  the 
Japanese  for  the  losses  they  had  sustained.  The 
Chinese  retreated  in  good  order  across  a  pontoon 
bridge ;  but  they  were  not  sharp  enough  to  destroy  it, 
and  it  served  us  well  on  the  morrow,  when  it  became 
necessary  to  cross  to  the  east  bank  of  the  river. 

I  hei'e  quote  from  General  Gaselee's  report  to  the 
Secretary  for  War : 

"  As  arranged,  in  the  early  hours  of  the  5th  the 
turning  movement  commenced.  At  daybreak  the 
colmnn  came  under  a  heavy  fire,  and  the  action  began 
by  a  vigorous  forward  movement  of  the  Japanese 
against  the  entrenchments,  supported  on  the  right  by 
the  British.  The  brunt  of  the  action  fell  on  the  Japan- 
ese, who  attacked  and  stormed  line  after  line  in  the 
most  gallant  manner.  I  readily  accord  to  the  Japanese 
the  whole  credit  for  the  victoiy.  Their  loss  was  three 
hundred  killed  and  wounded,  while  the  British  was 
twenty-five.  The  Chinese  rout  was  complete,  and 
before  noon  they  had  entirely  disappeared,  having  fled 
to  the  left  bank  of  the  river.    The  other  allied  forces 


ATTENDING  THE   WOUNDED  69 

were  scarcely  engaged,  and  practically  had  no  loss. 
After  the  victory  at  Pei-tsang  we  pushed  on  for  a 
mile  or  two  along  the  west  bank,  but,  being  stopped 
by  inundation,  were  compelled  to  return  to  Pei-tsang 
and  cross  over  to  the  east  bank,  where  we  bivouacked 
for  the  night,  covered  by  an  outpost  two  or  three  miles 
in  advance/' 

The  long-range  naval  guns  did  good  service.  They 
were  the  self-same  guns  that  had  been  used  in  South 
Africa,  whence  they  came,  labelled  "From  Ladysmith 
to  Tientsin  direct."  Here  at  Pei-tsang  they  knocked 
the  Chinese  guns  out  of  action  just  as  easily  as  they 
had  at  Tientsin,  sending  the  Chinese  to  the  right-about, 
shouting,  "  No  likee  lyddite." 

To  walk  over  a  battlefield  is  an  interesting  though 
sad  experience.  The  British  general  had  asked  me  to 
act  as  chaplain  on  the  march ;  for,  as  the  good  man  said, 
"  A  British  soldier  always  feels  better  on  the  battlefield 
if  he  realises  that  he  is  within  reach  of  a  Christian 
burial."  Glad  I  was  that  my  services  in  this  direction 
were  so  little  needed.  Most  of  the  British  soldiers  who 
fell  had  been  hit  by  the  Chinese  artillery  fire.  Far 
away  they  had  found  the  range,  and  shells  would  fall 
both  behind  and  in  front  of  us.  Close  by  was  the  field 
hospital,  and  to  this  came  a  stream  of  wounded  men  on 
stretchers,  hit  by  shell,  torn  by  shrapnel ;  yet  there 
was  not  a  murmur,  a  sigh,  or  even  a  moan.  "  They  bore 
the  surgeon's  rough  tenderness  as  they  bore  their 
wounds— stoical,  silent,  soldier-like." 


70  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

Dead  Japanese  and  Chinese  were  lying  around  the 
trenches,  showmg  how  severe  had  been  the  battle  on  the 
Japanese  line  of  march.  I  stood  and  gazed  on  the  form 
of  many  a  poor  fellow  who  had  started  out  with  us  that 
Sabbath  morning  full  of  life  and  hope,  but  whosB  spirit 
had  now  flown.  Many  a  dearly  beloved  son  of  a 
far-away  mother  lay  full  length  in  the  broiling  sun, 
awaiting  his  grave  on  the  great  Chili  Plain. 

The  battle  of  Pei-tsang  had  been  fought  and  won, 
and  that  night  we  slept  in  the  Chinese  camp,  almost 
before  their  camp-fires  had  gone  out.  The  town  was 
in  flames,  and  ammunition  was  exploding  in  all  direc- 
tions, making  a  terrific  din ;  but  this  did  not  interfere 
with  our  sleeping  the  sleep  of  the  weary,  if  not  of  the 
just. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Russians,  French, 
Germans,  and  Italians  had  marched  on  the  east  of  the 
river,  but,  owing  to  the  flooded  state  of  the  countiy,  had 
been  luiable  to  proceed  farther  than  about  five  miles. 
They  returned  and  crossed  the  river  to  the  west,  follow- 
ing on  our  line  of  march  ;  all  except  the  Germans, 
who,  not  being  prepared  for  the  forward  movement, 
retired  on  Tientsin  after  the  battle  of  Pei-tsang.  The 
Russians  and  French  were  the  first  to  march.  Passing 
our  camp,  they  crossed  the  pontoon  bridge,  left  by  the 
Chinese,  to  the  east  of  the  river,  where  there  are  two 
roads  running  parallel.  The  Americans  and  British 
followed,  while  the  Japanese  continued  to  march  on 
the  west  bank  of   the   river.     Before   resuming   our 


BATTLE  OF  YANG-TSUN  71 

advance,  I  went  round  to  examine  the  position  we  had 
taken,  and  was  gratified  to  note  here,  as  elsewhere, 
the  correctness  of  the  information  brought  in  by  our 
scouts. 

The  march  for  the  day  was  about  fifteen  miles,  and 
the  heat  was  so  terrific  that  twenty  per  cent,  of 
our  men  had  fallen  out  before  the  next  battle  began, 
ten  miles  from  our  starting-point.  On  coming  into 
contact  with  the  enemy  at  Yang-tsun,  the  American 
infantry  and  battery  were  placed  on  the  right,  the 
British  in  the  centre,  and  the  Russians  on  the  left,  with 
their  flank  on  the  river,  embankment.  The  Chinese 
had  taken  up  a  very  strong  position  on  the  railway 
embankment,  which  at  this  point  is  about  thirty  feet 
high.  We  were  down  on  the  plain,  and  they  poured 
in  a  deadly  fire  from  above.  At  last  the  charge  was 
ordered  by  the  General.  The  14th  U.S.  Infantry  was 
led  by  fine  old  Major  Quinton,  and  their  attack  and  cap- 
ture of  the  position  was  a  gallant  piece  of  work.  The 
1st  Sikhs  and  24th  Punjabis  shared  with  the  Americans 
the  honour  of  capturing  the  enemy's  strong  position 
at  Yang-tsun. 

A  very  unfortunate  accident  occurred  here  during 
the  artillery  duel  and  while  the  charge  was  being  made. 
By  some  means  the  Russian  guns  swept  the  American 
infantry  while  they  were  assaulting  the  position, 
their  shrapnel  tearing  many  of  the  poor  men  to  pieces. 
If  American  regiments  cherish  the  memory  of  their 
deeds   of  bravery  as  do  English  ones,  the  14th  U.S. 


72  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

Infantry  might  have  the  words  of  one  of  its 
sergeants  inscribed  on  its  colours.  When  the  battle 
began,  he  exclaimed,  "  Let  us  have  the  day's  work  over 
before  dark/'    And  it  was  done. 

The  report*  of  General  Gaselee  to  the  Secretary  for 
War  was  as  follows : 

"  On  the  6th  the  whole  of  the  allied  forces  marched  on 
Yang-tsun  by  the  river-bank,  with  the  exception  of 
about  six  thousand  Japanese,  who  continued  to  advance 
by  the  left  bank.  The  enemy's  main  position  was  along 
the  railway  embankment,  with  one  flank  resting  on  a 
village  close  to  the  bridge.  It  was  at  once  arranged  to 
attack  this  position  with  one  Russian  battalion  on  the  left, 
British  in  the  centre,  Americans  on  the  right,  while  the 
Bengal  Lancers  covered  the  extreme  right  flank.  The 
advance  to  attack  was  made  in  beautiful  order  over  about 
five  thousand  yards  of  level  plain  covered  with  high 
crops.  At  about  half  this  distance  the  troops  came 
under  a  hot  shell  and  musketry  fire.  Nevertheless, 
owing  to  the  open  order  in  which  we  worked,  our  loss 
was  comparatively  small.  The  advance  was  a  rapid 
one.  The  enemy's  guns  were  in  a  retired  position,  and 
thus  escaped  capture.  I  would  also  like  to  mention  the 
names  of  two  American  officers  who  gallantly  supported 
our  fighting  line,  namely.  Major  William  Quinton,  14th 
United  States  Infantry  ;  Captain  T.  R.  M.  Taylor,  14th 
United  States  Infantry." 

The  allied  forces  lost  many  killed  on  this  occasion. 
The  hospital  was  set   up   under   the   trees,   and  here 


THE  ENEMY  RETREATING  73 

sixty  or  seventy  men  were  bandaged  and  otherwise 
surgically  treated.  The  Chinese  held  their  position 
bravely  until  they  saw  the  line  of  cold  steel  coming 
nearer  and  nearer  the  railway  embankment.  Then 
they  retired,  taking  most  of  their  wounded  and  their 
guns  with  them.  If  the  Japanese  had  been  ready  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river  to  prevent  their  crossing  the  two 
pontoons,  the  slaughter  of  the  Chinese  would  have  been 
appalling.  But  the  Japanese  had  had  to  bridge  several 
breaks  in  the  river-bank  on  their  line  of  march,  and 
were  thus  delayed  till  most  of  the  Chinese  army  had 
crossed  to  the  west  bank  and  made  good  their  escape. 

Only  on  our  ascending  the  embankment  could  we 
realise  the  extremely  strong  position  the  enemy  had  held. 
At  intervals  small  holes  had  been  dug ;  in  these  the 
Chinamen  had  sat  and  fired  till  they  had  been  hit  or 
ordered  to  retire.  Eound  each  hole  were  scattered 
ammunition  and  empty  cartridges.  The  former  was 
gathered  together  and  thrown  into  the  river  close  by. 
As  already  stated,  most  of  their  guns  they  had  taken 
away,  but  many  shells  had  been  left  behind.  Later,  a 
few  daring  soldiers  returned  to  our  position  in  the  hope 
of  carrying  some  away ;  but  they  were  either  shot,  or 
caught  and  made  to  work  as  coolies. 

Yang-tsun  is  a  large  market  town,  where  a  Chinese 
camp  has  been  established,  to  my  knowledge,  for  fifteen 
years.  The  railroad  crosses  the  Pei-ho  Eiver  at  this 
point,  and  it  was  here  that  Admiral  Seymour  and 
Captain  McCalla  were  obUged  to  leave  it  and  take  to  the 


74  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

river  on  their  return  from  Lang-fang.  Still  standing 
on  the  embankment  were  the  boilers  and  wheels  of  the 
engines  used  in  that  fruitless  attempt  to  reach  Peking. 
How  the  Boxers  must  have  gloated  in  their  hate  when 
they  rushed  upon  these  inventions  of  the  "  foreign 
devils " !  They  had  burned  the  woodwork  of  the 
carriages,  looted  the  brasses,  nuts,  and  bolts,  and  had 
even  torn  up  and  buried  the  rails  and  sleepers.  But 
the  wheels  and  boilers  remained  there  in  defiance ;  the 
white  man's  forgings  had  proved  too  unyielding  for  the 
Boxers. 


CHAPTER  VI 


ON   THE   MAECH 


SO  far  we  had  marched  twenty -five  niiles  in  forty- 
eight  hours.  That  was  two  hard  days'  work  for 
an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men,  even  if  the  fighting, 
sun,  and  dust  be  not  taken  into  account.  The  men 
were  exhausted  and  the  Chinese  had  fled,  so  it  was 
decided  to  give  the  soldiers  a  day's  rest. 

This  did  not  mean  that  there  was  no  work  for  the 
scouts  and  InteUigence  Department.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  river  were  being  drained  of  water  farther 
up,  for  our  transport  boats  were  nearly  aground.  Years 
ago  we  know  that  the  tide  was  perceptible  as  far  north 
as  Yang-tsun,  but  we  did  not  think  the  river  could  ever 
fall  to  the  extent  now  noticed.  Our  fears  were  that 
the  Chinese  had  cut  the  river-banks  north  of  us,  to 
prevent  our  boats  from  getting  up  the  river.  This 
seemed  the  most  probable  explanation  of  the  condition 
of  the  river  ;  the  more  so  that  the  Chinese  had  cut  the 
line  in  front  of  and  behind  Admiral  Seymour,  and  had  in 
that  way  barred  his  progress  towards  Peking.  What 
more  likely,  then,  than  that  they  should  cut  the  river- 

76 


76  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

banks  and  let  the  water  out  over  the  low-lying  country  ? 
This  would  have  been  a  very  serious  obstacle,  for  we 
could  not  have  marched  without  our  transport.  The 
naval  guns  had  been  placed  in  boats,  and  already  these 
were  aground.  A  ride  along  the  river-bank  and  an 
examination  of  the  probable  rise  and  fall  of  the  water 
led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the  fall  of  the  river  was 
owing  to  the  tide  from  the  coast,  fifty  miles  away. 
Fortunately  I  proved  correct,  it  being  found  later  that 
the  Chinese  had  not  cut  the  banks  higher  up. 

With  the  cry  of  "  Make  haste !  "  ringing  in  our  ears, 
the  fact  that  the  Chinese  had  been  driven  from  their 
second  line  of  defence  acted  as  a  salve  for  wounds  and 
lame  limbs,  and  all  were  ready  for  Wednesday's  forward 
movement.  The  British  force  consisted  of  Sikhs, 
Rajputs,  Pataans,  Bengal  Lancers,  and  Punjabis— all 
Indians,  in  turbans— the  only  white  men  being  three 
hundred  Welsh  Fusiliers,  three  hundred  marines,  the 
Naval  Brigade,  and  one  battery  of  Field  Artillery. 
Then  there  was  that  most  interesting  individual,  the 
Chinee-British  soldier,  from  Wei-hai-wei,  who  seemed  to 
be  in  his  element  most  when  he  was  following  Chinese 
prisoners  with  a  fixed  bayonet  in  his  hands  ;  though  I 
believe  the  regiment  did  valiant  service  in  the  attack 
on  Tientsin.  This  cavalcade  was  doubtless  the  most 
picturesque-looking  that  ever  went  on  to  a  battlefield. 
In  addition,  there  were  Americans,  Japanese,  Russians, 
and  French,  all  in  distinctive  garb. 

On  8th  August,  at  daylight,  the  heterogeneous  army 


78  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

began  to  move  across  the  pontoon  bridges  to  the  west 
of  the  river,  and,  from  the  point  at  which  we  left  the 
line  of  march  taken  by  Admiral  Seymour,  our  road  was 
that  followed  by  the  British  in  1860.  In  fact,  the  survey 
made  at  that  time  formed  the  basis  of  our  map  for  this 
march.  We  had  four  surveyors  attached  to  the  expedi- 
tion, but  they  were  none  too  numerous  for  the  work 
to  be  performed ;  for  each  village,  road,  well,  path,  and 
name  had  to  be  entered. 

In  1860  the  French  marched  on  the  east  of  the  river, 
and  the  British,  their  allies,  on  the  west.  On  that  march 
the  French  must  have  paid  for  nothing  that  they  took, 
for  during  the  forty  intervening  years  every  foreigner 
travelling  on  the  east  of  the  river  has  had  to  suffer 
reviling,  and  worse,  in  consequence  of  their  proceedings. 
Now,  forty  years  later,  five  armies  were  marching  to 
Peking  on  the  west  of  the  river. 

At  eleven  o'clock  a  halt  was  called,  and  we  dis- 
mounted near  a  well.  I  was  taking  a  drink  and  water- 
ing my  horse,  when  I  espied  a  Chinaman  hiding  behind 
a  hedge.  After  I  had  addressed  him  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, he  came  out  and  said  to  me,  "  I  am  not  afraid  of 
the  British  " ;  adding, "  I  was  here  forty  years  ago,  when 
the  English  came,  and  they  did  not  injure  me  ;  so  I 
thought  I  would  trust  them  now  and  not  I'un  away." 
All  other  inhabitants  had  fled.  Entering  into  conversa- 
tion, he  gave  me  information  concerning  the  retreating 
Chinese  army,  its  guns  and  condition.  Generals  Sung- 
ching  and  Li-ping-hgng,  with  General  Ma,  were  the  men 


AN  INTERESTING  CONVERSATION      79 

in  command  at  Yang-tsun.  Li-ping-heng  had  brought 
up  his  army  of  "  Honan  Braves/'  but  they  had  been  hope- 
lessly cut  up  and  were  demoralised.  After  the  battle, 
Yii-lu,  the  Viceroy  at  Tientsin,  had  shot  himself,  and  his 
body  was  being  taken  north.  The  Empress  Dowager 
had  ordered  him  to  retake  Taku  and  Tientsin ;  but  this 
being  beyond  his  power,  and  finding  himself  being 
driven  back  rapidly  on  Peking,  he  knew  his  head  would 
be  in  danger,  so,  to  save  the  Empress  Dowager  the 
trouble  of  removing  it,  he  had  taken  his  own  life. 

The  conversation  was  so  interesting  that  I  had  not 
noticed  the  column  marching,  though  I  had  heard  the 
bugle  sound.  The  Bengal  Lancers  were  the  rear-guard 
for  the  day  and  the  only  soldiers  still  on  the  spot.  I 
experienced  a  "  rude  awakening "  when  the  Indian 
officer  in  command  called  out,  "  Come  long,  sir ;  Chinee 
catchee  you."  This  was  the  first  time  I  had  felt  afraid 
of  being  caught.  There  was  now  no  time  for  delay,  so 
with  a  hasty  wave  of  the  hand  I  left  my  friend  the 
Chinaman,  and  galloped  into  position.  This  ride  cost 
me  much  aching  of  heart,  for  it  was  pitiable  to  see  our 
weary,  footsore  soldiers  trudging  along  under  a  sun 
of  intense  power,  the  thermometer  standing  at  102° 
in  the  shade. 

Till  the  rains  begin,  the  heat  of  North  China  is  dry 
and  not  very  trying,  but  at  this  time  the  air  was  damp 
and  the  heat  most  relaxing.  In  ordinary  circumstances 
the  residents  of  North  China  would  carry— umbrellas ; 
but  this  of  course  was  out  of  the  question  now,  and  so 


So  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

we  rode  or  marched  on  foot,  and  made  the  best  of  onr 
discomfort.  I  felt  the  heat  all  down  the  middle  of  my 
back,  and,  dismounting  under  a  tree,  sat  down  to  cool 
and  rest.  One  of  the  many  doctors  rode  up  and  inquired 
as  to  my  condition.  I  assured  him  that  I  was  well ;  and 
not  wishing  to  be  "  counted  out/'  I  remounted  and  rode 
to  my  place. 

By  4  p.m.  we  had  reached  Tsai-tsun,  and  found  that 
the  advance  guard  had  pitched  the  camp.  A  hasty 
wash  and  a  cup  of  tea  refreshed  us  greatly,  and  many 
of  the  men  took  a  bathe  in  the  Pei-ho.  Several  of  the 
senior  officers  improvised  drawers  and  joined  in  the 
fim.  My  work,  however,  was  not  yet  finished,  for  the 
yamen  must  be  visited  and  the  papers  examined.  Some 
were  of  value  and  were  preserved,  though  the  Japanese 
had  mixed  them  up  so  that  they  were  difficult  to  find. 

Many  prisoners  had  been  caught  by  this  time.  Some 
were  regulars,  and  others  were  Boxers  wearing  uniform. 
The  British  and  Americans  dealt  with  prisoners  accord- 
ing to  the  rules  of  warfare  among  civilised  peoples, 
though  we  knew  we  were  fighting  an  enemy  who  neither 
gave  nor  expected  quarter.  The  usual  mode  of  disposing 
of  them  was  to  send  them  in  gangs  of  a  dozen  or  twenty 
to  pull  the  boats  or  push  the  transport  baiTOws.  They 
were  guarded  by  soldiers  with  fixed  bayonets  ready 
to  shoot  any  daring  to  escape.  Many  prisoners  had 
been  caught  red-handed,  and  to  deal  with  such  men 
according  to  the  rules  of  warfare  was  distasteful  to  some 
of  our  men,  especially  to  those  who  had  had  comrades 


FROGI^ESS  SLO  W  AND  DIFFICULT        8r 

beheaded  while  they  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese 
as  prisoners.  We  had  reason  to  beheve  that  some 
prisoners  were  never  turned  over  to  us  "  officially," 
but  were  handed  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
Japanese,  Eussian,  or  French  soldiers,  who,  as  a  rule, 
had  no  such  conscientious  scruples  on  the  subject  as 
bound  the  Anglo-Saxon.  Part  of  my  duty  consisted 
in  examining  the  prisoners  and  reporting  to  the  In- 
telligence Department  information  received  from  them. 

The  Wei-hai-wei  regiment  took  charge  of  the  prisoners 
captured  by  the  British.  Strange  was  the  sight  of  this 
Chinese  regiment  of  British  soldiers  fighting  against 
their  own  countrymen.  They  might  have  refused  to 
fight  them  had  they  been  men  from  the  same  province  ; 
but  they  were  Shantung  men,  and  had  nothing  in  com- 
mon with  our  enemies  in  the  metropolitan  province. 

Thursday's  march  w^as  noticeable  chiefly  for  its 
excessive  heat  and  its  cavalry  battle.  Five  armies  were 
marching  together,  the  Japanese  first,  over  roads  not 
more  than  six  feet  wide  in  many  places  and  indented  with 
deep  ruts.  Progress  was  terribly  slow  and  arduous. 
We  had  hardly  started  this  morning  when  a  halt  was 
called.  At  this  point  the  road  ran  down  a  narrow 
ravine,  and  this  was  blocked  by  the  large  American 
waggons;  not  for  long,  however,  for  "many  hands 
make  light  work,"  and  soon  there  was  an  onward  move, 
though  this  march,  which  ought  to  have  been  done 
in  five  hours,  actually  took  eight  for  its  accomplish- 
ment.   The  heat  became  well-nigh  insufferable,  and  it 

6 


82  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

was  reported  that  three  hundred  men  had  fallen  out, 
while  ten  horses  succumbed  to  sunstroke.  The  advance 
guard  for  the  day  was  the  Bengal  Lancers.  As  we  neared 
the  end  of  the  day's  march  we  found  the  road  obstructed 
by  Chinese  troops.  Two  miles  outside  Ho-hsi-wu  the 
Chinese  cavalry  came  out  to  oppose  our  progress.-.  The 
Lancers  formed  up,  and  for  a  time  there  was  a  desperate 
encounter.  The  Chinese  infantry  were  ordered  out, 
but,  being  busy  with  their  dinner  at  the  time,  they 
became  confused,  fired  a  few  rounds,  and  fled.  It  was 
well  that  our  infantry  regiments  were  not  called  upon 
on  this  occasion.  The  mounted  men  had  not  suffered 
from  the  heat  as  had  the  infantry,  who  were  quite 
prostrated  by  the  time  they  had  made  their  way  into 
camp.  We  had  several  horses  killed,  but  the  Chinese 
lost  heavily.  They  left  a  number  of  dead  on  the 
field,  and  the  standards  of  Generals  Sung  and  Ma 
were  captured. 

The  fighting  over  and  the  Chinese  having  retired,  we 
occupied  their  camp.  Their  fires  were  burning,  and 
there  was  plenty  of  hot,  steaming  rice  left.  We  found 
a  smelting-pot,  in  which  the  lead  for  bullets  had  been 
fused,  showing  that  ammunition  had  been  getting  scarce. 
The  Chinese  had  dug  entrenchments,  thirty  feet  wide  and 
twelve  feet  deep,  down  to  the  bank  of  the  river  on  one 
side,  and  round  the  town  on  the  other,  facing  an  elevated 
piece  of  ground,  which  they  had  intended  to  utilise  as  a 
fort.  Unfortunately  for  them  we  came  too  soon,  and 
their  guns  were  not  in  position ;  in  fact,  the  trenches 


ENCAMPED  AT  HO-HSI-  WU 


83 


had  not  been  completed.  The  baskets,  spades,  and  picks 
were  lying  round  in  confusion,  just  as  they  had  been 
thrown  away  at  the  tidings  of  our  approach.  Another 
week's  work  would  have  made  this  a  stronghold,  but 
our  poUcy  throughout  the  march  was  to  give  the  enemy 
no  time  to  entrench.  To  maintain  the  pace  at  which 
we  were  proceeding  meant  a  severe  strain  on  our  troops ; 


^'tikt^mm 


A  TYPICAL   CA:MPI^'G-GEOUND. 


but  they  stood  it  well,  inspired  as  they  were  with  the 
desire  to  relieve  the  poor  distressed  people  in  Peking. 

We  had  now  reached  the  half-way  point,  and  here  we 
found,  placed  as  a  convenient  centre,  a  powder  magazine, 
estimated  to  contain  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  tons  of 
powder.  We  camped  close  by,  and  a  sentiy  was  posted 
to  watch  over  it.     At  \h^  council  of  war  held  on  the 


84  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

pitching  of  our  camp,  the  Generals  decided  that  in  con- 
sequence of  the  heat,  which  was  working  such  havoc 
with  the  troops,  we  should  halt  until  4  p.mj.  on  the 
morrow,  and  then  take  a  night  march,  when  the 
weather  would  be  cooler.  Thus  we  had  a  long  halt, 
but  little  rest ;  for  with  so  many  thousands  about,  it 
was  impossible  to  find  a  quiet  corner. 

I  had  taken  a  walk  towards  the  powder  magazine ; 
and  finding  a  shady  tree  with  some  soft  grass  beneath 
it,  I  threw  myself  down  for  a  rest.  Only  one  thing 
disturbed^  me,  and  that  was  the  squealing  of  pigs  at  the 
rear  of  some  deserted  huts.  A  soldier,  who  was  looking 
round,  made  his  way  to  where  the  squealing  came  from, 
and  found  four  pigs  shut  up  in  a  sty  without  food— 
hence  the  noise.  He  let  them  loose,  and  I  settled 
myself  down  for  a  quiet  half-hour.  But  this  was  not 
to  be.  A  sharp  voice  rang  out  my  name,  and  I  looked 
up,  to  see  General  Barrow,  Chief  of  the  Staff,  before 
me.  He  asked  me  how  I  was ;  and  after  being  assured 
that  I  was  well,  though  tired,  he  said,  "  Living  so 
many  years  in  China  as  you  have,  I  want  to  ask  you 
what  you  think  we  should  do  when  we  get  to  Peking. 
Supposing  we  find  the  Emperor— who  is  said  to  be  dead 
— aUve,  don't  you  think  we  had  better  have  him  put 
back  on  the  throne,  if  possible  ? ''  Answering,  I  said, 
"It  seems  to  me  that  would  be  a  good  thing."  "And 
what  do  you  think  of  Li-hung-chang  as  Prime 
Minister  ?  "  he  went  on.  "  WelV  said  I,  "  it  seems  to 
me  that  w^ould  hardly  do.    Li,  to  my  mind,  does  not 


A  DANGERO  US  RESTING-PLA  CE  85 

deserve  the  confidence  of  the  AlHed  Powers.  Besides, 
he  is  too  old." 

At  this  moment  an  orderly  stepped  up  to  the  General 
and  informed  him  that  by  some  means  one  of  the  de- 
serted huts  near  the  magazine  had  been  ignited  and  was 
all  ablaze.  The  General  rode  away  at  once  to  the  place, 
and  a  party  of  soldiers  was  called  out,  and  with  buckets 
of  water  fought  the  fire,  which  at  last  was  got  under. 
The  fire  was  too  near  to  the  magazine  to  make  my 
retreat  a  safe  resting-place,  so  I  deferred  my  siesta  ^ine 
die,  and  made  my  way  back  to  camp. 

This  excitement  and  lunch  over,  it  was  soon  4  p.m. 
and  time  to  march.  A  night  march  seemed  fraught 
with  many  dangers,  though  under  the  circumstances  it 
seemed  to  be  the  right  course  to  take.  General  Barrow 
led  the  column,  with  Mr.  Bois  Kup  of  Tientsin  as  inter- 
preter. The  band  of  the  Gourkas  played  a  lively  air, 
and  we  marched  off  with  a  swing.  The  road  lay  along 
the  dried-up  bed  of  a  river  deep  with  sand.  The  sun 
had  poured  down  all  day  on  this  sand,  till  it  was  like 
molten  metal  and  almost  unbearable.  During  the  first 
two  miles  two  hundred  men  fell  out,  and  there  were  some 
cases  of  actual  sunstroke.  It  seemed  strange  to  me 
that  the  Indians  should  suffer  so  severely ;  yet  it  was 
evident  that  they  stood  this  kind  of  heat  no  better  than 
did  the  Americans  and  British.  Many  horses  had  to 
be  abandoned ;  yet,  despite  the  fact  that  most  of  them 
were  invalided  past  recovery,  numbers  made  attempts 
to  rejoin  the  ranks. 


86  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

The  strain  on  man  and  beast  was  so  severe  that  a 
halt  was  called  at  a  village  at  which  there  were  two 
wells.  The  wells  here  are  like  those  in  Palestine.  They 
are  deep,  and  every  person  drawing  water  must  carry 
his  own  vessel  with  a  rope  attached.  Of  the  Indian 
soldiers,  each  carries  his  own  vessel,  made  of  brass. 
Each  also  had  provided  liimself  with  a  rope.  Thus  at 
every  well  they  could  get  a  drink ;  whereas  the  Japan- 
ese, British,  and  American  soldiers  carried  no  vessel, 
and  had  to  rely  on  the  bounty  of  others. 

At  one  of  these  wells  I  was  witness  to  an  amusing 
incident.  A  parched,  exhausted  Japanese  soldier, 
seemingly  ready  to  drop,  begged  a  drink  from  a  Sikh 
soldier.  The  Sikh  motioned  that  thi's  w^as  not  per- 
missible. Notwithstanding,  the  Japanese  laid  hold  of 
the  vessel.  The  Indian  wrested  it  from  him.  Then  he 
showed  him,  by  example,  how  to  place  his  hands  together 
in  the  shape  of  a  cup,  into  which  the  water  could  be 
poured.  No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  Jap  held  his 
hands  up  to  his  mouth,  the  Sikh  poured  the  w^ater  from 
his  vessel,  and  the  Jap's  thirst  was  quenched  ;  thus  the 
Sikh's  caste  was  saved.  If  the  Sikh  had  allowed  the  Jap 
to  drink  out  of  his  vessel,  he  would  have  lost  his  caste. 

Each  Indian  regiment  had  its  own  war-cry.  Even 
while  the  men  were  suffering  badly  from  the  heat  a 
sudden  shout  would  ascend  from  one  of  them,  and  the 
whole  force  would  respond  with  a  most  hideous  yell, 
which  seemed  to  give  heart  and  energy  to  them  all. 

After  a  few  minutes  at  the  wells,  the  "  fall  in  "  was 


BRITISH  COLONEI  AND  RUSSIAN  SOLDIER  87 

sounded,  and  the  march  was  recommenced.  Suddenly 
a  terrific  explosion  took  place.  Some  of  the  men  fell 
to  the  ground,  and  others  shouted,  "  A  mine  !  "  A 
few  of  us  were  in  the  secret ;  w^e  knew  that  Colonel 
Scott-Moncrieff,  commanding  officer  of  the  Eoyal  En 
gineers,  had  been  left  behind  for  the  express  purpose 
of  exploding  the  powder  magazine  at  Ho-hsi-wu,  last 
night's  camp,  and  that  this  was  to  be  done  at  six  o'clock. 
The  shock  was  tremendous,  even  at  a  distance  of  two 
miles.  Looking  back  we  saw  a  dense  black  cloud  of 
smoke  ascend  and  develop  like  a  huge  tree,  till  it  covered 
the  sky.  Then  there  descended  a  shower  of  dust  which 
stuck  to  our  khaki  clothing  for  hours  afterwards.  We 
supposed  that  the  detonation  would  be  heard  in  Peking, 
but  were  informed  that  explosions  were  so  common  that 
this  one  excited  no  surprise. 

When  the  Colonel  came  into  camp  he  had  a  remarkable 
tale  to  tell.  With  his  assistants,  he  had  laid  a  long  fuse 
from  the  magazine.  This  was  ignited,  and  he  was 
running  away  when  he  noticed  a  Eussian  soldier  walking 
directly  for  the  magazine,  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  it 
would  immediately  be  exploded.  The  Colonel  ran 
towards  him  and  made  gestures,  not  being  able  to  speak 
Eussian.  Nor  could  the  Eussian  understand  English. 
So  by  physical  force  the  Colonel  had  to  stop  the  man. 
The  Eussian  resented  this  interference  with  his  liberty, 
and  insisted  on  an  explanation.  At  that  moment  the 
flame  reached  the  magazine,  the  explosion  took  place, 
and  both  were  thrown  violently  to  the  ground.    Then, 


88  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

and  only  then,  did  the  Russian  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  conduct  of  this  excited  British  officer. 

This  was  our  first  night  march,  and  a  new  experience. 
Our  Hne  of  march  led  us  through  the  market  town  of 
An-ping,  where  we  rested  for  about  half  an  hour.  At 
nine  o'clock  some  of  us  half  wished  we  might  camp 
here,  but  it  was  not  to  be.  So  many  of  the  men 
lagged  behind,  that  a  few  stray  Chinese  scouts  could 
have  picked  off  many  of  them.  The  cavalry  kept  a  good 
look-out,  yet  we  knew  not  where  an  ambush  might 
be  laid  for  us.  The  kao-liang,  or  "  tall  millet,"  was  on 
both  sides,  between  ten  and  twelve  feet  in  height,  and  a 
whole  army  might  easily  have  been  concealed  within  it. 

An  edict  had  been  issued  by  the  Empress  Dowager, 
ordering  the  Boxers  to  concentrate  in  large  force  at 
Timg-an-hsien,  a  city  but  a  few  miles  on  our  left.  If 
they  obeyed  the  edict,  they  kept  quiet,  for  we  had  little 
trouble  and  hindrance  to  our  progress. 

The  road  was  not  wide  enough  to  admit  of  more  than 
two  or  three  men's  marching  abreast ;  consequently 
our  column  was  miles  in  length.  At  about  eleven 
o'clock,  when  we  were  two  miles  from  our  destination 
and  were  turning  a  sharp  corner,  a  voice  rang  out, 
"  Who  goes  ?  "  In  an  instant  the  gleam  of  bayonets 
showed  that  business  was  on  hand.  But  "  Friend,"  as 
an  answer,  satisfied  the  sentry  of  the  14th  Infantry 
which  had  pushed  ahead  and  lost  their  baggage  in  the 
dark.  We  were  able  to  put  them  right,  and  we  marched 
together  into  camp  at  Ma-tao.    The  baggage  train  did 


A  THUNDERSTORM  89 

not  turn  up  until  the  morrow,  and  many  of  the  men 
spent  an  uncomfortable  night  in  consequence.  The 
midnight  hour  had  struck  before  we  took  up  our 
quarters  in  a  large  kao-liang  field,  with  grain  at  least 
ten  feet  high.  This  had  to  be  broken  down  ere  we  could 
secure  a  six-feet  length  of  mother  earth  whereon  to 
spread  our  scanty  bedding.  Officers  and  men  alike 
took  their  blankets  and,  without  more  of  a  supper  than 
a  drink  of  cold  water,  lay  down  anywhere,  to  indulge 
in  "  nature's  sweet  restorer.''  A  "  rude  awakening  " 
was  our  portion  when,  two  hours  later,  a  thunder- 
storm, with  heavy  rain,  wet  us  through  ;  and  most  of 
us  had  to  wait  till  daylight  before  the  khaki  clothing 
dried  on  our  backs. 

My  contact  with  military  officers  at  mess  and  in  tent, 
in  camp  and  on  march,  only  increased  my  deep  sympathy 
and  regard  for  them— at  least  for  the  Anglo-Saxon 
portion  of  them,  and  it  is  these  I  know  most  about. 
Most  of  them  are  gentlemen  by  birth  and  education,  yet 
they  never  grumble  at  their  surroundings,  but  take 
everything  as  it  comes.  In  fact,  many  a  time  I  felt 
sorry  that  they  had  to  work  so  hard  on  such  poor  food. 
The  luxury  of  a  tent  was  seldom  indulged  in  while  on  the 
march.  Two  blankets  and  an  oilskin  were  considered 
a  necessity— all  else  were  luxuries.  Had  I  not  witnessed 
it,  I  could  hardly  have  believed  it  possible  that  men 
would  march  from  4  p.m.  till  after  midnight,  and  then 
turn  in  without  anything  stronger  than  a  drink  of  cold 
water. 


96  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

One  day  I  was  invited  by  Major  Quinton  to  dine 
with  the  officers  of  the  14th  U.S.  Infantry.  It 
was  a  great  honour,  for  they  have  won  the  envy  and 
esteem  of  all  who  have  witnessed  their  brave  deeds. 
Two  empty  boxes  on  end  did  duty  as  a  table,  while 
a  newspaper  was  the  tablecloth.  There  was  a  metal 
knife,  fork,  and  spoon  for  each,  and  each  had  but  one 
enamelled  plate  for  all  the  courses.  Captains  Taylor  and 
Leonard  were  present,  and  I  suppose  that  by  this  time 
their  daring  deeds  have  brought  them  into  contact  with 
the  "  upper  ten,"  and  that  luxuries  will  have  been  heaped 
upon  them.  They  deserve  it.  What  a  change  !— the 
drudgery  of  war,  then  honour. 

And  then  the  British  Indians— the  polo-players,  the 
aimers  at  "  looking  smart  "  and  making  a  dash  through 
the  "  beggars  "—what  a  change  now,  again !  At  noon 
one  day  I  saw  General  Sir  Alfred  Gaselee,  with  his 
Chief  of  the  Staff,  General  Barrow,  who  had  called 
a  halt,  squatting  on  the  ii,  or  outer  bank,  of  the  Pei- 
ho  Eiver,  and  lunching  contentedly  on  the  contents  of  a 
tin  box.  The  sun  was  pouring  down  his  midday  heat, 
and  all  Avere  panting  for  breath.  A  thoughtful  officer 
had  galloped  to  the  well  of  a  neighbouring  village,  and, 
returning,  handed  his  bottle  of  water  to  the  General. 
The  General  was  only  too  glad  to  get  a  draught  of  cool, 
refreshing  water.  Close  by  was  a  melon  patch,  carefully 
tended  by  a  poor  countryman ;  but,  on  the  approach 
of  the  troops,  he  took  to  his  heels,  and  the  soldiers 
took    his    melons.      Melons    are    grand    for    slaking 


AMENITIES  OF  CAMP  LIFE  91 

one's  thirst,  and  so  generals  and  privates  alike  found 
out. 

Colonel  Scott-Moncrieff  I  saw  mucli  of.  He  is  a 
sincere  Christian,  and  a  late  member  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  Committee  in  London.  Often  on 
the  march  he  wbuld  ride  up  and  say,  "  I  have  faith ; 


CAPTAIN   (now  major)   WINGATE,    CHIEF   INTELLIGENCE  OFFICER. 

Peking  will  hold  out  till  we  get  there."  His  faith  was 
not  misplaced.  Would  that  we  had  more  Christian 
warriors  !  Others  I  was  thrown  into  contact  with  were 
Captain  E.  W.  N.  Norie,  Quartermaster-General  for 
Intelligence,  every  inch  a  gentleman  ;  Captain  Wingate, 
who  rode  at  the  head  of  the  column  and  knew  no  fear, 


92  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

thougli  frequently  in  great  danger ;  Captain  Eyder, 
who  had  charge  of  the  surveyors ;  Major  Luke,  of  the 
Chinese  regiment ;  and  Captain  Coe,  of  the  transport. 
All  are  gallant  soldiers  and  gentlemen. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  march  I  had  been  unfortu- 
nate in  losing  my  horses.  Fasten  them  as  I  would,  they 
broke  loose.  In  consequence  I  had  to  apply  to  the 
transport  ofl&cer  for  remounts.  He  usually  sent  me  to 
the  captured  pony  lines  to  "  take  the  best  you  can  find." 
This  was  not  an  easy  matter  where  there  were  scores 
to  choose  from ;  so,  not  being  a  horsey  man,  I  used  to 
secure  the  help  of  a  friendly  cavalryman,  who  was 
always  ready  to  oblige  me.  To  one  and  all  of  the  officers 
and  men  I  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  their  kindness 
and  attention  to  a  novice  in  the  field. 

The  next  march  was  to  Chang-chia-wan,  and  we  were 
to  move  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  This  is  where 
the  Chinese  fought  the  allied  troops  in  1860,  and  we 
expected  they  would  make  a  stubborn  stand  again,  so 
were  prepared. 

Having  the  morning  at  liberty,  Captain  Kemp,  the 
Eussian  interpreter  to  General  Gaselee,  and  I  went  for 
a  walk  outside  the  camp.  Hard  by  a  small  temple,  on  an 
elevated  piece  of  land,  we  sat  down  to  rest,  choosing  a 
spot  from  which  we  could  obtain  a  good  view  of  the 
river.  We  had  not  been  seated  long  when— whiz ! 
whiz  !— and  two  bullets  flew  past  us,  much  too  close 
for  our  comfort.  The  Captain  jumped  up  and  called 
out,  but  there  was  no  reply.    Then,  revolver  in  hand,  we 


A  NARRO  W  ESCAPE  93 

went  round  the  hill  in  search  of  foes.  Presently  we  came 
across  the  shooter.  He  proved  to  be  an  infantryman 
who  was  amusing  himself  during  his  leisure  hours  with 
shooting  dogs ;  he  had  mistaken  the  head  of  one  of 
us  for  a  fine  China  pup  !  Explanations  followed  and 
apologies  were  offered,  and  the  soldier  went  back  to 
camp  a  wiser  man.  The  carelessness  with  which  some 
of  the  men  handle  their  weapons  surprised  me.  On 
the  battlefield,  in  case  of  accident,  there  is  neither 
inquest  nor  jury,  and  this  begets  a  recklessness  which 
is  inexcusable. 

This  march  to  Chang-chia-wan  was  unique,  because  the 
road  was  so  narrow  and  our  column  so  long.  Orders 
were  given  by  bugle  and  lanterns  in  the  hands  of 
signallers,  under  Captain  Eigby,  and  in  thijS  way  the 
long,  serpent-like  army  was  kept  in  touch  with  the 
Generals.  The  Japanese  had  taken  another  road,  and 
had  struck  the  Chinese  rear-guard  before  we  came  up. 
For  some  reason  the  Chinese  had  refused  to  fight,  and, 
throwing  away  most  of  their  surplus  baggage,  had  made 
good  their  escape.  The  Japanese  fired  the  town,  and 
by  the  time  we  came  up  it  was  enveloped  in  flames  and 
clouds  of  smoke.  The  effect  of  this  at  night  was  to 
strike  terror  into  the  retreating  Chinese  troops. 

The  decision  to  march  at  night  was  a  wise  one,  and 
in  future  wars  with  China  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  Chinese  have  a  strong  dislike  to  being  out  after 
dark ;  they  retire  early,  and  never  travel  at  night 
without  a  lantern.     Owing  to  the  number  of  lanterns 


94  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

carried  by  the  retreating  army,  the  Japanese  were  able 
to  place  many  shells  accurately,  and  they  proved  very 
destructive.  The  Japanese  captured  ten  guns,  but  we 
arriyed  too  late  for  what  the  officers  called  "  the  fun." 

We  pitched  camp  near  the  burning  town,  the  heavens 
seeming  all  ablaze.  A  threshing-floor  served  as  a  bed. 
The  night  was  fine ;  we  were  without  tents,  but,  for 
all  that,  we  slept  till  the  bugle  sounded  at  5  a.m. 
The  morning  sun  broke  over  us  very  hot,  and  we  knew 
we  were  in  for  another  of  those  scorching  days.  We  had 
come  our  last  night  march,  and,  on  looking  back, 
it  seems  very  strange  that  with  all  the  natural  advan- 
tages on  the  side  of  the  Chinese,  they  did  not  make 
better  use  of  their  opportunities  to  harass  and  bar  our 
progress.    Perhaps  they  thought  it  was  a  hopeless  task. 

On  more  than  one  occasion  we  had  reason  to  be  grate- 
ful to  the  Japanese,  who  had  engaged  the  Chinese  before 
we  arrived.  They  are  brave  men,  and  will  in  future 
have  to  be  reckoned  with,  when  international  affairs 
are  being  discussed.  Bishop  Fowler  has  made  a  com- 
parative statement  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Far  East. 
He  says : 

"  The  Chinese  crowd  into  every  door.  They  do  most 
of  the  business  of  Japan.  The  Chinese  are  solemnly 
in  earnest,  the  objective  point  sought  by  their  energy 
and  industry  being  '  another  cash.'  The  Japanese  is  a 
clerk,  the  Corean  is  a  coolie,  and  the  Chinese  is  the  pro- 
prietor in  the  Far  East.  In  architecture,  Japan  is  a 
match-box,  Corea  a  straw-stack,  and  China  a  quarry. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  FAR  EAST  95 

In  character,  Japan  is  a  squirrel,  Corea  a  pig,  and  China 
a  tortoise.  In  courage,  the  Japanese  is  a  bantam, 
Corean  a  rat,  and  Chinese  a  cur  ;  while,  in  social  habits, 
Japan  smiles,  Corea  groans,  and  China  meditates.  In 
the  great  campaign  for  the  capture  of  Asia,  to  take 
Japan  is  to  take  the  outer  forts,  to  take  Corea  is  to 
capture  the  ambulances,  but  to  take  China  is  to  take 
Asia." 

In  justice  to  the  Chinese,  it  should  be  stated  that  they 
invariably  carried  off  their  wounded  with  them ;  it 
was  reported  that  when  they  reached  Tung-chow  they 
had  forty  boat-loads. 


CHAPTEE  VII 


THE  ASSAULT  OF   PEKING 


/^UE  next  move  was  to  Tung-chow,  the  port  for 
^^  Peldng,  on  the  Pei-ho  Eiver.  The  city  is  one  of 
considerable  importance  and  wealth.  Forty  years  ago 
the  Chinese  officials  invited  commissioners  from  the 
allied  armies  to  enter  this  place  under  a  flag  of 
truce.  Sir  Harry  Parkes  and  six  others  were  sent  in ; 
but  the  Chinese  soldiers  closed  on  them,  bound  them 
with  ropes,  threw  them  into  carts,  and  rattled  them 
over  the  great  stone  road  to  Peking,  thirteen  miles 
away,  an4  p^t  them  into  prison.  Several  succumbed 
to  the  hard  treatment  they  received.  It  was  within 
the  range  of  possibility  for  the  Chinese  to  try  the  same 
tactics  now,  and  we  should  not  have  been  surprised  at 
the  appearance  of  a  white  flag  at  this  point.  But  not 
so.  The  imperial  army  evidently  meant  to  fight  to 
the  bitter  end.  As  we  followed  the  retreating  army, 
we  came  across  pots,  pans,  umbrellas,  and  fans,  the 
necessary  paraphernalia  of  a  Chinese  army,  scattered 
about  in  all  directions.  Here  and  there  a  deserting 
soldier  had  thrown  awav  his  coat  and  rifle  rather  than 


IN  SEAR  CH  OF  INFORM  A  TION  9  7 

face  the  enemy.  It  seemed,  therefore,  that  there 
would  be  no  serious  stand  till  Peking  should  be 
reached. 

Before  marching,  I  had  gone  into  the  burning  town 
to  try  to  find  somebody  who  would  give  us  information 
of  the  plans  of  the  retreating  generals.     After  a  long 
search  I  found  a  Taoist  priest  and  his  wife,  crouching 
down  in  the  corner  of  the  temple.     A  friendly  word  or 
two  in  his  own  language  drew  the  priest  into  conversa- 
tion, in  the  course  of  which  he  reported  that  the  soldiers 
were  getting  dissatisfied  with  the  army,  because  they 
had  not  had  pay  for  four  weeks  ;  and,  when  it  did  come, 
the  "  squeezes  "  were  so  heavy  that  they  had  little  heart 
to  fight.    Besides  this,  the  supply  of  grain  was  short. 
Early  in  the  campaign  an  expedition  had  been  sent  south 
of  Tientsin,  where  it  was  known  that  a  large  quantity  of 
grain  was  being  landed  from  the  Grand  Canal  and  was 
being  sent  overland  to  ^he  Chinese  camp  in  the  north. 
This  expedition  cut  the  supply  at  its  source  and  inter- 
cepted the  grain-junks  coming  from  the  southern  pro- 
vinces.    With  food  and  pay  in  arrears,  it  seemed  evident 
that  no  serious  opposition  w^ould  be  made  till  the  Allies 
should  reach  Peldng. 

General  Li-ping-heng,  with  his  "  Honan  Braves," 
was  in  full  retreat  before  us,  notwithstanding  his  boast- 
ing that  he  would  rush  all  the  "  foreign  devils ''  into  the 
sea  at  the  first  battle.  General  Sung-ching  of  Shan- 
hai-kuan,  with  General  Ma,  his  chief  of  staff,  were  dis- 
couraged, and,  with  the  body  of  the  late  Viceroy  of  the 

7 


98  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

province,  Yli-lu,  they  were  hurrying  north,  beheving 
"  discretion  to  be  the  better  part  of  valour." 

Sung  had  always  shown  himself  friendly  to  the 
foreigners,  till  the  magic  wand  of  the  Chinese  "  Jezebel " 
had  stirred  him  up  to  be  our  stubborn  enemy  on  this 
march.  Ma  was  the  man  who  had  trained  the  guns 
so  accurately  on  Tientsin  settlement.  Ten  shells  had 
entered  the  Temperance  Hall  in  twenty  minutes. 
British  officers  being  quartered  there,  the  Chinese  had 
made  a  special  target  of  it.  Four  shells  had  burst  in 
my  house,  while  forty  had  entered  the  garden.  The 
guns  were  no  obsolete  ones,  but  modern  Krupps,  trained 
on  the  foreign  settlement  by  men  who  had  been  drilled 
by  Eussian  officers. 

Generals  Nieh  and  Hu  had  been  killed  at  Tientsin. 
We  learned  this  from  despatches  found  in  the  yamen. 
Up  to  that  time  there  had  been  a  doubt  as  to  the  fate 
of  those  men.  And  now  the  remainder  of  China's  best 
generals  had  been  driven  to  within  twenty  miles  of  the 
capital ! 

On  the  march  to  Tung-chow  we  came  on  signs  of  a 
severe  battle  that  had  taken  place  near  the  west  gate. 
The  Japanese  had  been  there  early  and  finished  the 
fighting  before  we  arrived.  They  took  ten  guns  and 
killed  many  Chinese,  the  remainder  fleeing  towards 
Peking. 

Near  the  east  gate,  where  the  British  were  to  camp, 
there  met  my  eyes  a  ghastly  sight.  Hanging  on  a 
pole    were    the    heads    of    four    Chinamen,    probably 


POSITIONS  OF  THE  ALLIES  99 

Christians  who  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Boxers. 

We  marched  down  to  the  river-bank,  and  took  up 
quarters  in  the  inns  and  houses  which  had  been  vacated 
by  the  inhabitants  in  expectation  of  our  arrival.  The 
Generals  quartered  themselves  in  a  spacious  upper  storey, 
while  the  staff  occupied  rooms  on  the  ground  floor  of  a 
large  inn.  The  American  camp  was  on  a  level  piece  of 
land  outside  the  west  gate  of  the  city,  with  plenty  of 
trees  for  shade  and  a  clear  flowing  stream  in  the  valley 
below— an  ideal  spot  for  a  camp.  The  Eussian  camp 
was  farther  to  the  north  of  the  city  ;  while  the  Japanese, 
like  the  Americans,  were  encamped  outside  the  west 
gate,  with  an  outpost  close  to  Pa-li  Bridge,  two  miles 
nearer  Peking.  These  were  the  several  positions  on 
the  night  of  12th  August. 

General  Li,  with  his  forty  boats  of  ammunition  and 
wounded,  escaped,  the  morning  we  arrived,  up  a  narrow 
branch  of  the  river.  He  had  left  behind  two  boats  of 
powder  and  ammunition,  with  a  crew  in  each,  they  not 
having  had  time  to  escape.  The  latter  we  took  prisoners, 
but  the  powder  we  destroyed  and  threw  into  the  river. 
In  a  temple,  not  far  from  our  camp,  were  stored  fifty  tons 
of  powder ;  there  was  a  large  stock  also  in  one  of  the 
towers  on  the  city  wall.  During  my  absence  in  Peking 
the  latter  exploded,  destroying  half  the  city  and  killing 
many  people.  Several  Boxer  prisoners  were  caught 
while  sniping  from  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

Tung-chow  contains  some  wealthy  famiUes.    The  east 


loo  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

suburb  is  a  populous  and  well-to-do  quarter.  At  this 
time,  however,  it  was  not  easy  to  find  people,  for  they 
had  either  fled  or  were  shut  up  in  their  houses. 

Looting  soon  began,  and  very  early  I  was  called  to 
interpret  in  regard  to  it  for  General  Gaselee.  A  wealthy 
old  Chinaman  had  presented  himself  at  headquarters 
with  a  plea  the  General  could  not  understand.  But  I 
soon  found  out  his  errand.  He  complained  that  several 
Indian  soldiers  had  broken  into  his  house  and  were  loot- 
ing it ;  he  wished  the  General  to  interfere  on  his  behalf. 
At  once  the  General  asked  me  to  accompany  the  old 
man  home,  and  tell  the  soldiers  that  by  the  General's 
orders  they  were  to  desist  at  once  and  quit  the  house.  It 
was  quite  a  palatial  residence  we  entered.  The  old  man's 
story  had  been  true  enough  ;  a  number  of  Indian  soldiers 
were  helping  themselves  to  anything  they  fancied. 
Some  were  walking  away  with  arms  full  of  skins,  silks, 
and  ornaments.  I  shouted  at  the  top  of  my  voice, 
"General  orders  retire."  Whether  or  not  they  under- 
stood my  language  I  cannot  say,  but  they  saw  my  uni- 
form—I was  dressed  as  an  officer— and  knew  from  that 
that  I  was  "  somebody."  At  once  they  dropped  the  loot 
and  bolted.  Having  cleared  the  mansion  of  the  in- 
truders, I  helped  to  barricade  the  door,  and  then  took 
my  leave.  The  old  man  was  very  unwilling  that  I 
should  go  ;  with  tears  in  his  eyes  he  begged  me  to  stay. 
"  If  you  remain,"  he  said,  "  I  am  safe ;  but  when  you  are 
gone,  they  will  come  again."  Assuring  him  of  help  in 
case  of  fm^ther  trouble,  I  left  him. 


LOOTING  loi 

Up  to  this  time  looting  had  not  been  prohibited; 
but  it  soon  became  so  common  that  an  order  was  issued 
forbidding  the  soldiers  to  enter  any  native  h^Quses,  and 
Captain  Low,  provost  mai^lkn';,  irifbraiied  lif^  later  that  he 
had  fifteen  of  one  regiment  under  arT(&^1>  f or  di^bedience 
of  this  order.  The  offipersVdfd.'Sheii'  uiniost  to  reduce 
looting  and  outrages  of  every  kind  to  a  minimum,  but 
there  being  five  armies  to  control,  it  was  impossible 
wholly  to  prevent  them;  for,  when  a  complaint  was  made, 
it  usually  turned  out  that  the  culprit  was  a  soldier  fi'om 
one  of  the  other  camps  who  had  come  into  alien  ground, 
and  levanted  as  soon  as  he  had  completed  his  wrong- 
doing. 

On  12th  August  I  was  sent  for  by  General  Barrow, 
Chief  of  the  Staff.  After  a  few  preliminary  remark^  V 
he  handed  me  a  despatch  from  Sir  Claude  Macdofiaid  to 
read.  This  had  come  to  hand  at  Yang-tsun,  but,  it  being 
in  cipher  and  the  staff  not  having  the  code  at  hand,  we 
had  to  send  to  Tientsin  before  we  could  ascertain  its 
purport.  It  contained  advice  as  to  the  best  point  at 
which  to  enter  the  city  of  Peking,  of  which  it  gave  a 
plan.  After  reading  it  through,  I  turned  to  the  General 
and  said,  "  I  am  sorry  to  disagree  with  Sir  Claude 
Macdonald,  but  his  advice  to  enter  by  the  Yung-ting 
Gate  is,  to  my  mind,  a  mistake.  First,  it  means  three 
miles  extra  march  for  our  men,  and  thus  a  waste  of  time. 
Second,  the  gate  is  stronger  than  the  middle  east  gate 
of  the  south  city  (Sha-wo  Gate) ;  and  I  should  advise 
that."    My  view  was  taken,  and  this  gave  the  British  a 


I02  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

march  of  fifteen  miles  to  Peking,  on  a  line  parallel  with 
the  Americans  and  about  two  miles  south  of  them. 

At  a  council  of  war  held  on  the  12th,  it  was  decided  to 
send  forward  strong  reaojipoitring  parties  on  the  13th, 
to  con^v^iit:i;ate  On  a  line  about  .five  miles  from  Peking 
on  the  14th,  and  to  attack  on  the  15th.  The  positions 
of  the  forces  were  thus  assigned :  The  Eussians  to 
march  on  the  extreme  north,  on  a  line  from  Tung-chow 
towards  the  Tung-chi  Gate.  This  road  runs  parallel 
with  the  great  stone  road,  about  one  mile  north.  The 
Japanese  were  to  take  the  great  stone  road,  which 
would  bring  them  to  the  Chi-ho  Gate,  which  is  the 
most  used,  and  was  in  their  direct  line  of  march.  To 
have  taken  roads  either  north  or  south  of  this  would 
have  lengthened  their  march.  The  Americans  were  to 
march  south  of  the  stone  road  and  along  the  bank  of 
the  canal,  which  would  bring  them  to  the  Tung-pien 
Gate,  the  point  at  which  the  southern  and  Manchu 
cities  join.  The  British  were  given  the  choice  of 
roads  on  the  extreme  south.  The  one  chosen  was,  as  I 
have  already  stated,  that  about  two  miles  south  of  the 
American  line,  and  leading  to  the  Sha-wo  Gate. 

Thus  it  was  arranged  that  the  Allies  should  march 
in  four  parallel  columns  between  the  tw^o  cities  of  Tung- 
chow  and  Peking.  These  lines  of  march  were  followed, 
but,  "  owing  to  the  premature  advance  of  the  Eussians, 
the  intended  concentration  was  abandoned,  and  the 
troops  were  all  hurried  forward  to  assault  the  city  of 
Peking  "  (General  Gaselee's  report  to  the  War  Office). 


PREPARING  TO  ASSAULT  PEKING      103 

At  the  council  of  war  on  the  13th,  it  was  intimated 
that  the  Eussians  were  tired  and  unable  to  march 
more  that  half  the  way  to  Peking  on  the  14th.  Late  on 
the  evening  of  the  13th,  however,  there  were  signs 
that  the  Russians  were  preparing  to  march.  The  Japan- 
ese general  understood  the  move  to  mean  that  the 
Eussians  were  determined  to  be  the  first  into  Peking 
and  have  all  the  honour  that  would  attach  to  it.  He 
therefore  ordered  his  men  out  at  once,  at  the  same  time 
sending  word  to  the  American  and  British  generals. 
General  Chaffee  had  his  men  out  by  midnight,  and 
already  slowly  marching  on  Peking.  As  soon  as  General 
Gaselee  heard  of  the  Eussian  move,  he  sent  forward 
two  guns,  the  1st  Bengal  Lancers,  and  the  7th 
Bengal  Infantry  as  an  advance  guard.  This  force  was 
about  five  miles  on  the  way  to  Peking  before  midnight 
on  the  13th. 

While  in  Tung-chow,  in  order  to  procure  intelligence 
I  rode  on  one  occasion  with  Captain  Norie,  Q.M.G.,  over 
part  of  the  road  we  had  to  travel.  Our  route  lay  directly 
past  the  site  of  what  had  been  the  headquarters  of  the 
American  Board  of  Missions  in  North  China.  Their 
college  had  been  established  here,  and  a  prosperous 
mission  station  had  been  in  existence  for  many  years  ; 
but  in  their  place  now  we  found  only  heaps  of  broken 
bricks.  The  foundations  had  been  dug  up  and  the 
good  bricks  stolen.  A  war  correspondent  had  informed 
me  of  a  hole  crowded  with  dead  bodies,  probably  those 
of  converts ;  but  this  I  did  not  see.        We  found  on 


I04  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

the  ground  a  Boxer  flag,  on  which  was  the  inscrip 
tion: 

"By  Imperial  Sanction— Lien-chin  Contingent/' 

(Lien-chin  is  a  town  about  forty  miles  south.) 

On  our  return  to  camp,  I  was  instructed  to  have  a 
proclamation  written  and  issued,  inviting  the  populace 
to  return  to  their  homes  and  bring  food  for  sale  to  the 
troops.  Turning  to  General  Gaselee,  I  said,  "  Certainly 
this  would  be  lenient  treatment,  for  this  is  the 
first  place  from  which  American  women  and  children 
had  to  flee  for  their  lives.  I  should  propose  rather  the 
lighting  of  a  huge  bonfire  to-night— one  that  w^ill  strike 
terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  people  in  Peking.  If  you 
do  that,  I  think  we  shall  have  little  fighting  to-morrow." 
In  reply,  he  said,  "  Well,  you  know,  we  do  not  wish  to 
antagonise  the  350  millions  of  China."  This  was 
characteristic  of  the  man  from  beginning  to  end  of 
the  march.     He  was  kindness  itself. 

During  the  night  of  the  13th  a  terrific  thunderstorm 
came  on,  with  heavy  rain.  This  made  hard  work  for 
the  naval  guns ;  but  the  "  handy  man  "  of  Ladysmith 
was  the  same  at  Peking— always  ready.  H.M.S. 
Terrible  had  supplied  guns  and  men.  The  latter  had 
shared  the  trials  of  Ladysmith  with  the  men  of  the 
Powerful ;  but  while  their  more  fortunate  comrades 
were  enjoying  the  Eoyal  hospitality  at  Windsor,  they 
were  toiling  on  this  stormy  night  to  relieve  those  be- 
sieged in  Peking^  where  there  was 


NIGHT  MARCH  COMMENCED  105 

Shrinking  and  black  despair, 
And  one  dnll,  darksome  dread — 

Dread  for  the  women  dear, 
Grief  for  the  noble  dead. 

Still  we  with  straining  eyes 

Gaze  out  in  distance  far — 
Gaze  where  the  bullet  flies, 

Gaze  at  our  guiding  star. 

Pray  for  the  help  we  need. 

Pray  for  the  armies'  tramp ; 
Tender  the  wounds  that  bleed, 

Watching  life's  flickering  lamp. 

Then  up  again  we  rise, 

Start  from  the  bed  of  pain, 
Listening  to  savage  cries 

Shrieking  across  the  plain. 

Up,  men !   and  at  them  now  ! 

Dearly  our  lives  are  bought ! 
Friends  ! — crush  them  !   lay  them  low  ! 

Steady  ! — your  powder's  short ! 

Up,  men !   they  storm  the  wall ! 

Fight  for  the  women  brave ! 
Guard  them  with  cannon-ball. 

They — and  the  children — save  ! 

"  What  if  the  bullets  fly  ? 

What  if  our  number's  few  % " 
Strive  till  you  fall  and  die  ! 

Do  what  you  have  to  do  ! 

After  the  advance  guard  had  left  camp,  early  on  the 
night  of  the  13th,  Colonel  O'Sullivan  came  to  my 
quarters  with  the  message  that  the  General  wanted  me 


io6  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

to  ride  with  him  at  the  head  of  the  Infantry  Brigade  at 
2  a.m.  on  the  morrow.  At  midnight  the  camp  began 
to  stir.  Fortunately  most  of  us  had  been  sheltered  in 
Chinese  houses  from  the  storm;  but  the  water  was 
standing  inches  deep  on  the  courtyard  floor,  and  to  step 
out  was  to  get  wet-shod.  At  this  time  of  the  year  that 
did  not  matter,  for  it  was  quite  warm.  We  took  a  cup 
of  cocoa  and  a  cracker— some  of  my  brother  officers 
liked  whisky  and  soda  better. 

At  2  a.m.  we  were  ready  to  march,  and  we  set  out 
in  the  darkness.  The  roads  were  very  bad,  and  at 
first  horses  and  men  stumbled  about  in  all  direc- 
tions, the  soil  being  so  slippery.  But  daylight  soon 
dawned,  and  we  were  able  to  see  and  thus  avoid  many 
of  the  ruts  and  bogs.  The  road  we  were  travelling  was 
different  from  anything  we  had  hitherto  experienced ; 
but,  long  before  reaching  here,  I  had  suggested  that 
the  Chinese  would  find  their  advantage  in  the  deep 
ravines,  worn  for  centuries  and  never  repaired,  that 
did  duty  for  roads.  In  places  they  are  twenty  feet 
below  the  surrounding  country.  These  spots,  with  the 
high  grain  on  the  banks  above  on  both  sides,  were  well 
adapted  for  an  ambush ;  but,  until  we  came  abreast 
of  Pa-li  Bridge,  there  was  no  fighting,  except  for  the 
Japanese  and  Eussian  columns. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  could  hear  heavy  firing,  so 
marched  in  the  direction  of  the  sound.  We  came  up 
with  the  advance  guard  at  7  a.m.,  and  at  once  pushed 
on  with  such  troops  as  were  available,  the  main  body 


BEFORE  THE  GATES  107 

following  after  an  hour's  rest.  Meantime  the  Eussians 
and  Japanese  were  nearing  the  walls  of  Peking  ;  but 
,  they  were  not  to  reach  their  goal  unchallenged,  for 
the  Chinese  opened  fire  on  them  from  guns  placed  to 
command  the  two  northern  roads— those  travelled  by 
the  Eussians  and  Japanese.  These  guns  must  be 
silenced  before  they  could  reach  the  city  wall ;  but  this 
was  easily  effected,  and  gradually  the  Chinese  retired 
within  the  gates. 

The  walls  of  the  Manchu  city,  by  which  the  Japanese 
and  Eussians  were  faced,  are  sixty  feet  high  and  forty 
feet  wide  on  the  top— wide  enough  for  four  carriages  to 
be  driven  abreast  at  full  speed.  They  are  in  splendid 
condition,  with  massive  gates  on  each  side.  From  the 
top  of  this  wall,  crowded  with  soldiers,  the  two  columns 
were  kept  in  check  all  day.  Many  attempts  were  made 
to  blow  up  the  gates  with  gun-cotton,  but  every  time  a 
man  approached  to  light  the  fuse  he  was  shot  down. 
This  continued  until  Japanese  and  Eussians  had  each 
lost  about  one  hundred  men  killed.  Then  they  gave 
up  the  attempt  till  after  dark. 

The  early  arrival  of  the  two  forces  under  the  Manchu 
wall  had  had  the  effect  of  drawing  off  the  soldiers  placed 
to  guard  the  south  city.  The  belief  of  the  Chinese 
generals  seemed  to  be  that  the  allied  forces  were  advanc- 
ing in  two  columns  instead  of  four,  the  Americans  and 
British  being  so  much  later  in  turning  up  at  their 
respective  gates.  Consequently  all  their  efforts  wer^ 
given  to  the  defence  of  the  Manchu  wall. 


io8  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

At  about  12  o'clock  General  Chaffee  and  his  men 
prepared  to  attack  the  Tung-pien  Gate  of  the  south 
city.  The  wall  is  only  about  thirty  feet  high  at  this 
point  and  about  nine  feet  wide.  It  juts  out  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  farther  east  than  the  Manchu  wall,  and  was  to 
that  extent  farther  away  from  the  fire  of  the  Chinese 
soldiers.  It  was  decided  to  scale  the  wall  at  the  corner  ; 
so  up  climbed  a  number  of  men  of  the  9th  Infantry 
with  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  But  this  was  not  the  end  of 
the  day's  work,  though  it  was  the  first  entry  to  the 
outer  city  of  Peking.  There  was  some  hard  work 
ahead,  and  the  men  braced  themselves  for  whatever 
fate  had  in  store  for  them.  From  the  Manchu  wall 
they  were  exposed  to  a  galling  fire,  from  which  they 
could  secure  little  shelter ;  but  they  marched  bravely 
on,  in  spite  of  the  leaden  hail  poured  on  them  by  the 
thousands  of  Chinese  on  the  wall. 

As  we  Britisji  marched  along  the  soft  road  to  the  south, 
we  could  see  and  hear  that  sharp  fighting  was  proceeding 
to  the  north,  but  not  a  shot  or  shell  came  near  us.  No 
effort  had  been  made  to  defend  the  road  we  traversed, 
except  that  there  was  an  outpost  in  a  timber-yard  on 
our  line  of  march  ;  that,  however,  was  soon  disposed  of. 
But  though  there  was  no  organised  defence,  there  were 
snipers  all  around  us,  waiting  to  cut  off  stragglers  and 
disabled  soldiers. 

On  one  occasion,  while  we  were  halting  that  the 
scouts  might  ascertain  whether  there  were  any  obstacles 
to  our  advance,  I  was  talking  to  one  of  the  Indian  sur- 


INSIDE  THE  CITY  109 

veyors,  who  was  busy  drawing,  a  few  yards  from  the 
main  body,  when— whiz  !  whiz  !— and  bullets  fell  around 
us.  One  hit  his  board,  scattering  his  instruments  and 
sending  us  both  flying  to  our  places.  Nobody  was  hit 
—for  a  wonder. 

At  noon  the  Americans  and  the  British  were  in  touch, 
and  the  latter  pushed  on  to  the  Sha-wo  Gate.  While  the 
columns  to  the  north  were  being  kept  in  check,  we 
marched  on  unopposed.  From  our  left  and  south  we  had 
information  that  there  was  an  army  of  twenty  thousand 
men  camped  in  the  Emperor's  hunting-ground  ;  so  we 
expected  an  attack  from  that  quarter.  But  it  never 
came.  If  we  had  marched  to  the  Yung-ting  Gate, 
as  advised  by  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  we  should  pro- 
bably have  had  this  army  on  our  rear  and  one  in  front, 
and  the  two  together  would  have  punished  us  severely. 
But  the  enemy  seemed  satisfied  to  expend  their  efforts 
on  the  other  three  columns,  so  that  the  British  loss 
during  the  day  was  three  men  wounded  only. 

On  and  on  we  went,  till  at  about  one  o'clock  Ave  could 
see  the  Sha-wo  Gate  looming  in  the  distance.  Steadily 
we  advanced  towards  it,  until  within  twelve  hundred 
yards  of  it ;  then  two  guns  of  the  12th  Field  Battery 
were  ordered  up.  (By  a  strange  coincidence,  it  was  the 
12tli  Battery  that  accompanied  the  expedition  of  1860.) 
Ten  or  twelve  shells  were  fired,  the  gates  flew  open,  and 
the  tower  trembled.  A  soldier  climbed  to  the  city  wall 
and  then  to  the  tower,  unfurling  the  Union  Jack  as  he 
proceeded.    Then  he  hoisted  it  in  position,  so  that  all 


I  lo  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

could  see  and  salute  it.  The  gate  was  undefended,  for, 
though  a  few  guns  were  found  inside,  the  soldiers  had 
gone  elsewhere.  We  marched  down  the  Sha-wo  main 
street  towards  the  Chang-i  Gate,  till  we  came  to  the 
Ha-ta  Gate  main  street.  We  hardly  attempted  to  reply 
to  their  desultory  and  ineffective  fire,  being  disturbed  by 
snipers. 

The  men  were  much  exhausted  by  the  long  march 
of  fifteen  miles  and  the  intense  heat,  and  were  scattered 
in  groups ;  but  they  struggled  gamely  on.  Down  north, 
towards  the  Ha-ta  Gate,  we  went,  till  we  came  to  the 
city  moat.  This  was  a  little  too  near  the  Manchu  wall 
for  our  comfort.  So  we  turned  west,  along  a  narrow 
alley,  the  houses  on  each  side  affording  us  protection. 
We  pushed  on  towards  the  water-gate,  which  Sir  Claude 
Macdonald  had  suggested,  in  a  cipher  message,  would 
be  the  best  and  easiest  way  to  the  Legations.  The 
allied  flags  were  still  flying  on  that  portion  of  the  Manchu 
city  wall  which  we  knew  had  been  held  by  the  Legations ; 
but  an  ominous  silence  made  us  fear  the  worst  had 
happened,  and  that  the  flags  were  only  a  ruse  to  lure 
us  on.  But  suddenly,  to  our  great  relief,  we  saw^  a  blue- 
jacket on  the  city  wall.  He  signalled  to  us : 
"  Come  up  sluice  street,  by  the  water-gate." 
The  General,  with  his  staff  and  soldiers,  rushed  across 
the  canal,  and,  with  help  from  the  inside,  the  bars  of 
the  sewer-gate  were  soon  broken  down.  As  they  crossed 
a  hail  of  bullets  poured  on  them  from  the  Ha-ta  Gate, 
but  not  a  man  was  touched,  and  in  marched  General 


THE  LEG  A  TIONS  RE  A  CHED  1 1 1 

Gaselee  and  his  staff,  with  the  1st  Sikh  regiment.  I 
was  detained  outside,  with  Captain  Low,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  baggage  caravan.  The  dehght  of  being 
one  of  the  first  inside  the  Legations  was  denied  me ;  but 
I  was  well  employed  for  an  hour,  for  the  respectable 
business  men  were  flitting  from  house  to  house.  Our 
men  could  hardly  resist  the  temptation  of  shooting  at 
every  passing  Chinaman,  not  being  able  to  distinguish 
between  decent  civilians  and  Boxers.  I  was  able  to 
save  some  lives,  by  keeping  the  officers  informed  as  to 
who  were  peaceable  inhabitants. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  RELIEF   OF   THE   LEGATIONS 

THE  excitement  inside  the  Legations  was  intense. 
Captain  Pell,  A.D.C.,  a  Sikh  officer,  and  four  or 
five  Indian  soldiers  were  the  first  to  get  up  the  water- 
gate.  The  Indians  shouted,  while  the  rescued  people 
ran,  took  them  by  the  hands,  shed  tears  of  joy,  and  in 
many  cases  sent  up  thanksgiving  to  God  for  their 
deliverance.  At  last  I  too  entered,  over  the  ankles 
in  sewage  and  covered  with  filth.  The  tunnel  w^as 
only  about  seven  feet  high,  so  that  I  had  to  travel  it  on 
foot,  leaving  my  coolie  outside  with  my  steed.  We  were 
a  sorry-looking  spectacle.  A  march  of  fifteen  miles, 
some  fighting,  and  the  rescue  of  the  Legations,  all  in 
one  day,  was  not  a  bad  day's  work,  and  we  had  every 
reason  to  be  thankful.  A  young  man  inside  the  Lega- 
tions described  the  relief  as  follows : 

"  During  the  night  of  the  13th  firing  continued. 
At  two  o'clock  we  suddenly  looked  each  other  in  the 
face.  No  one  spoke.  We  listened  carefully.  There 
could  be  no  doubt  about  it  !     It  was  the  sound  of  heavy 


''THE  TROOPS  ARE  IN  THE  CITY!''     113 

guns  quite  close  !  We  simply  rent  the  sky  with  our 
cheers.  The  Chinese  could  not  understand  what  was 
the  matter,  and,  after  firing  a  few  volleys,  ceased  for 
about  ten  minutes.  Perhaps  they  too  were  listening. 
At  four  o'clock  the  sound  was  nearer,  and,  as  the  day 
wore  on  towards  noon,  the  guns  seemed  to  be  coming 
closer  and  closer. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  entrance  of  the  Sikhs  into 
the  Legation.  We  were  sitting  in  the  Mongol  Market, 
chatting  and  listening  to  the  guns,  when  suddenly 
someone  rushed  in  to  say,  '  The  troops  are  in  the  city  !  ' 
We  could  see  no  foreigner.  It  was  an  English-speaking 
Chinaman  who  brought  the  glad  news.  We  simply 
went  mad  with  excitement.  We  jumped  in  the  air, 
knocked  each  other  down,  shouted  and  howled. 
Others  ran  to  the  loopholes  and  fired  wildly  at  the 
Chinese.  Then  we  all  wanted  to  run  to  Legation  Street 
to  meet  them ;  but  Von  Strauch,  our  commander, 
would  not  let  us  quit  our  posts.  One  man  broke  away, 
saying,  '  I'm  not  on  duty,'  and  in  a  few  minutes  rushed 
back :  '  The  Sikhs  are  in  Legation ! '  Discipline 
restrained  us  no  longer.  We  ran,  yelling  and  howling 
with  joy,  to  the  Legation  lawn ;  and  the  scene  that 
followed  is  indescribable.  Besieged  Peking  simply  went 
mad  with  delight,  and  nothing  could  be  done  during  the 
remainder  of  the  day  except  run  here  and  there  and  greet 
the  soldiers  as  they  came  in,  and  ask  foolish  questions. 

"Next  morning  we  discovered  two  mines  already 
laid,  with  powder  and  fuse  all  complete.    If  the  troops 

8 


114  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

had  come  one  day  or  one  night  later,  God  only  knows 
what  the  result  would  have  been." 

Mr.  Edward  Lowry,  the  youngest  son  of  the  Rev. 
H.  H.  Lowry,  D.D.,  the  late  superintendent  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Mission  in  North  China,  had  acted 
as  interpreter  to.  General  Chaffee  on  the  march.  He 
had  tried  to  reach  Peking  with  Admiral  Seymour  and 
Captain  McCalla,  but,  like  them,  had  had  to,  return  to 
Tientsin.  Neither  of  these  two  was  present  when 
Peking  was  reached,  but  Mr.  Lowry  was  there.  The 
secret  of  his  persistence  lay  in  the  fact  that  his  dear  wife 
had  suffered  the  siege,  and  this  had  made  him  desperate. 
Mr.  Lowry  had  marched,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Lewis  of 
the  Soldiers'  Christian  Association,  with  the  U.S.  14th 
Infantry,  and  arrived  at  the  Tung-pien  Gate  in  time  to 
see  the  wall  scaled  ;  but  the  heavy  fire  from  the  Manchu 
city  wall  hindered  their  progress,  the  more  so  that  there 
was  so  little  shelter  to  be  had.  At  last  the  forward 
move  was  made,  along  the  side  of  the  moat  to  the  Ha-ta 
Gate,  and  thence  to  the  water-gate,  which  they  entered 
at  five  o'clock,  employing  the  same  method  as  ourselves, 
but  three  and  a  half  hours  afterwards.  Several  of  their 
men  had  been  hit,  and  they  had  some  sharp  fighting. 

The  British  race  had  relieved  the  Legations,  not- 
withstanding that  they  had  given  an  undertaking  ''  not 
to  lead  the  column " ;  but  they  had  carried  off  the 
honours.  "  Honour  to  whom  honour  is  due."  While 
the  British  Avere  pitching  their  tents,  the  Russians  were 
fighting  to  get  in  ;  and  not  till  nine  o'clock  at  night— 


THE   REV.    FKEDEllICK    BROWN,    IN    ROBE   OF   HONOUR   PRESENTED   BY 
NATIVE   CHRISTIANS   IN   1893. 


1 1 6  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

six  and  a  half  hours  after  the  British,  and  four  hours 
after  the  Americans— did  they  enter  the  Legations. 

God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform. 

Generals,  troopers,  correspondents,  scrambled  up  the 
banks  through  all  the  filth.  The  rescued  were  flushed 
with  excitement  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  rescuers 
were  haggard  and  rough-bearded.  They  dragged  them- 
selves as  if  ready  to  drop,  their  khaki  uniforms 
dripping  with  perspiration  and  black  with  mud. 

On  my  entering,  a  crowd  surrounded  me,  eager  for 
the  latest  news  from  the  outside  world.  Even  to  some 
of  my  missionary  friends  I  had  to  introduce  myself, 
since  they  had  never  looked  for  me,  especially  in  uniform. 
Revs.  Davis,  Hobart,  and  Walker  looked  thin  and  pale, 
and  the  other  sixteen  Methodist  Episcopal  missionaries 
showed  signs  of  the  dreadful  ordeal  they  had  passed 
through;  and,  while  the  American  Board  and  the 
London  Mission  missionaries  were  well  and  active,  it 
was  plain  that  they  had  suffered.  The  Eev.  Gilbert 
Reid  had  been  shot,  and  Mr.  Gamewell,  of  whom  Dr. 
Morrison  of  the  Times  spoke  very  highly,  and  about 
whom  he  sent  a  special  report,  was  the  centre  of  an 
admiring  crowd. 

As  the  flush  of  excitement  left  the  faces  of  the  besieged, 
it  was  seen  that  they  were  haggard  and  worn.  They 
looked  like  a  company  of  invalids.  Every  part  of  the 
enclosure  testified  to  their  tragic  experiences.    There 


AN  UNINVITING  MEAL  iiy 

was  a  plot  of  land  in  the  corner  filled  with  graves. 
Several  children,  for  whom  no  proper  food  could  be 
procured,  had  died  of  starvation.  Fifty-four  of  the 
defenders  had  been  killed,  while  one  hundred  and 
twelve  had  been  wounded. 

I  had  scarcely  entered  the  Legation  when  Mrs.  Stone- 
house,  of  the  London  Mission,  handed  me  a  cup  of  tea. 
Needless  to  say,  it  was  most  grateful.  Then  half  a 
dozen  of  my  friends  invited  me  to  share  the  evening 
meal  with  them.  Naturally  I  w^as  only  too  glad.  But 
before  the  meal  was  through  I  had  changed  my  mind. 
The  first  course  was  "  y(my  soup  and  brown  bread.''  The 
second  and  last  was  "  nfiule  steak  and  musty  rice.''  I 
did  more  talking  than  eating,  and,  as  soon  as  politeness 
would  allow  me,  excused  myself  and  went  back  to  the 
Legation  verandah,  where  the  staff  had  taken  up  their 
quarters,  and  had  a  little  "  bully  beef  "  and  biscuit,  which 
was  more  to  my  taste. 

Even  when  we  had  effected  the  relief  of  the  Lega- 
tions, we  were  by  no  means  safe,  for  bullets  flew  over 
the  barriers  from  all  quarters.  A  few  moments'  rest, 
and  the  1st  Sikhs  were  dispatched  to  put  a  stop  to  these 
proceedings.  A  terrible  slaughter  was  the  result ;  but 
in  our  part  of  the  city  there  was  quietness  for  the  night. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  guns  began  to  boom. 
A  French  battery  was  battering  the  palace ;  w^hile  the 
U.S.  Battery,  on  the  Chien-men  Gate,  w^as  engaging  a 
Chinese  battery  on  the  Shun-chie  Gate.  Here,  sad  to 
relate,  Captain   Eeilly,  commanding  the  former,  was 


ii8  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

killed,  not  many  yai'ds  from  where  I  stood.  He  was 
a  brave  officer,  who  was  loved  by  his  men— for  "  Eeilly's 
Battery"  was  the  pride  of  the  force.  The  evening  of 
the  same  day  his  mortal  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Legation  compound. 

On  riding  to  the  Methodist  compound,  on  our  way  to 
the  Observatory,  we  met  a  sight  that  made  our  hearts 
ache.  Here  had  stood  the  beautiful  Asbury  Chapel, 
in  which  we  had  worshipped  on  the  3rd  of  June  ; 
now,  on  the  16th  of  August,  nothing  but  a  heap  of 
broken  bricks  was  to  be  found.  Every  building  in  the 
compound— chapel,  college,  university,  and  residences— 
had  been  razed  to  the  ground  ;  even  the  very  founda- 
tions had  been  dug  up. 

A  ride  along  the  city  wall  brought  to  view  scores  of 
antiquated  cannons  that  the  Chinese  had  used,  while 
tents  were  dotted  about  in  all  directions— but  all  empty. 
While  on  duty  in  Peking  I  slept  nightly  in  one  of  these 
.  tents.  Looking  over  the  wall,  on  the  west  of  the  city 
one  could  see  the  cemetery  in  which  we  deposited  our 
" "  sacred  dust "  ;  but  now  only  two  heaps  of  ashes 
marked  the  spot,  all  the  gravestones  having  been 
broken  up.  That  such  desecration  could  have  been 
possible  in  a  land  in  which  ancestral  worship  is  so 
strong  a  national  characteristic,  proves  the  intensity  of 
the  hatred  of  the  Chinese  for  foreigners. 

Let  us  turn  back  to  the  Legation,  where  those  mourned 
as  dead  have  been  restored  to  us  alive  and  well.  There 
stands  the  gun  the  besieged  had  improvised  and  named 


TRIBUTE  TO  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS      119 

the  "International/'  otherwise  the  "Betsy''— the  latter 
because  she  kicked  so  badly  when  discharged.  Left  by 
the  British  in  1860,  found  in  an  old -iron  shop  in 
1900,  her  wheels  made  by  an  Italian,  loaded  with 
Kussian  shot  and  Chinese  powder,  fired  by  an 
American  gunner,  truly  had  she  earned  the  name  of 
International. 

Peking  is  relieved,  the  Legations  are  saved,  but  at 
the  cost  to  the  Allies  of  about  a  thousand  men.  We 
gratefully  recognise  God's  mercy,  and  give-  Him  the 
glory.  God  uses  human  agency  in  most  of  the  mani- 
festations of  His  power ;  and  it  was  so  on  this  occasion. 
Certainly  the  Legations  must  have  fallen  but  for  the 
native  Christian  refugees.  A  letter  from  the  Hon. 
E.  H.  Conger,  United  States  Minister  to  China,  reads 
thus : 

"  To  the  besieged  American  missionaries,  one  and  all 
of  you,  so  providentially  saved  from  certain  massacre,  I 
beg  in  this  hour  of  our  deliverance  to  express  what  I 
know  to  be  the  universal  sentiment  of  our  Diplomatic 
Corps— the  sincere  appreciation  of  and  profound  grati- 
tude for  the  inestimable  help  which  you,  and  the  native 
Christians  under  you,  have  rendered  tow^ards  our  pre- 
servation. Without  your  intelligent  and  successful 
planning,  and  the  uncomplaining  execution  of  the 
Chinese,  I  believe  our  salvation  would  have  been  im- 
possible. By  your  courteous  consideration  of  me  and 
your  continued  patience  under  most   trying    circum- 


I20  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

stances,  I  have  been  most  deeply  touched,  and  for  it 
all  I  thank  you  most  heartily.  I  hope  and  believe  that 
somehow,  in  God's  unerring  plan,  your  sacrifices  and 
dangers  will  bear  rich  fruit  in  the  material  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  people  to  whom  you  have  so  nobly  devoted 
your  lives  and  work.  Assuring  you  of  my  personal 
respect  and  gratitude, 

"(Signed)    E.  H.  Conger." 

This,  coming  from  so  unimpeachable  an  authority, 
is  valuable  and  gratifying  testimony  to  the  success  of 
the  missionaries  in  inspiring  some  at  least  of  the  Chinese 
people  with  noble  sentiments  and  high  ideals  of  their 
duty  towards  the  suffering  and  distressed;  and  this 
apart  from  the  inestimable  benefits  they  confer  on  them 
by  bringing  to  them  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour. 
Then  to  the  missionary,  despised  for  Jesus  Christ's 
sake,  Mr.  Conger  writes : 

"  Dear  Mr.  Gamewell,— You  deserve  and  will  receive 
the  lasting  gratitude  of  all  the  Peking  besieged.  But 
I  cannot  separate  from  you  in  this  hour  of  providential 
deliverance  without  bearing  testimony  that  to  your 
intelligence  and  untiring  effort,  more  than  to  that  of 
any  other  man,  do  we  owe  our  preservation.  I  beg  you 
to  accept  the  most  hearty  expression  of  my  personal 
appreciation  of  your  work  and  my  sincerest  gratitude 
therefor. 

"  (Signed)    E.  H.  Conger." 


NATIVE  CHRISTIAN  MARTYRS  121 

The  Eev.  Frank  Gamewell  is  a  Methodist  missionary, 
and  to  him  was  given  the  duty  of  fortifying  the  Lega- 
tions. Trained  as  a  civil  engineer  before  his  call  to 
the  mission-field,  he  proved  of  the  highest  usefulness 
during  those  nine  long  weeks.  With  a  few  old  spades 
and  picks,  found  round  the  place,  and  with  cloth  of 
every  description,  taken  from  shop  and  residence,  for 
sand-bags,  he  engineered  the  construction  of  the  earth- 
works which  saved  the  besieged  foreigners.  To  him 
more  than  to  any  other  man,  it  is  distinctly  stated,  the 
foreign  community  owe  their  escape  from  death.  Sir 
Claude  Macdonald,  the  British  Minister,  wrote  to 
him :  "  Personally  I  can  only  say  that,  should  I  ever 
be  in  a  tight  place  again,  I  hope  I  may  have  as  my  right 
hand  so  intelligent,  willing,  and  loyal  a  man  as  yourself." 

On  7th  January  Lord  Lansdowne  instructed  the 
British  Minister  at  Washington  to  thank  the  Secretary 
of  State  for  Mr.  Gamewell's  ser\dces. 

Our  missionaries  all  eiscaped,  but  the  native  Chris- 
tians w^ere  far  less  fortunate.  Thousands  were  slain. 
Most  of  them  could  have  saved  their  lives,  but  would 
not,  at  the  cost  of  giving  up  their  faith.  Offered  an 
opportunity  to  recant,  they,  like  the  apostles  and 
martyrs  of  New  Testament  times,  preferred  death  to 
denial  of  Christ.  Henceforth  no  man  who  is  not  a 
caviller  can  ask  the  question,  "Are  there  any  genuine 
Chinese  Christians  ?  "  Some  fair-minded  persons  have 
expressed  doubt  on  the  point,  and  have  called  for  proof 
of  it.    A  few  "  globe-trotters  "  have  said,  "  The  Chinese 


122  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

never  really  renounce  their  ancient  faith ;  those  who 
are  counted  as  Christians  merely  pretend  to  accept 
Christianity  because  they  get  a  living  thereby,  as 
teachers,  preachers,  interpreters!,  and  helpers ;  they 
are  simply  followers  of  Jesus  for  the  sake  of  the  loaves 
and  fishes."  Even  were  this  so,  they  would  not  greatly 
differ  from  thousands  in  Christian  lands.  There  are 
doubtless  those  numbered  among  Church  members  in 
China  who  are  hypocrites ;  but  false  professors  of  Clu'ist 
are  found  everywhere.  They  were  found  even  among 
Christ's  personal  followers,  and  have  always  crept  in 
among  the  saints.  To  prove  that  some  Chinese  Church 
members  are  "  rice  Christians  "  proves  nothing  against 
the  genuineness  of  the  majority  of  the  conversions. 
The  "  rice  Christians ''  are  not  the  kind  of  stuff  from 
which  martyrs  are  made.  When  the  test  comes— death 
or  denial— the  convert  who  is  a  convert  only  in  name 
quickly  shows  where  his  heart  is. 

Foxe's  Book  of  Martyrs  must  fall  into  the  back- 
ground in  presence  of  the  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  China  during  the  year  1900.  These  con- 
verts stood  by  the  foreigners,  their  sole  inducement 
being  a  good  conscience.  All  honour  to  the  native 
Christian  refugees  ! 

But  we  must  hasten  to  a  close.  The  Legations  were 
relieved  only  just  in  time.  After  we  got  in  a  mine  was 
discovered  reaching  under  the  Britisli  Legation,  with  a 
fuse  one  hundred  feet  long  attached.  All  that  was  need- 
ful was  a  match ;  the  result  would  have  been  terrible  to 


''JUST  IN  TIME  "  123 

contemplate.  ''  Just  in  time."  Yes,  the  people  were 
despairing  of  the  future ;  but,  on  the  historic  night 
of  13th  August,  they  heard  the  different-sounding  guns 
and  belie^^ed  that  relief  was  nigh.  They  remembered 
Jessie  Brown's  dream  at  Cawnpore,  when  she  thought 
she  heard  the  bagpipes  playing  "  The  Campbells  are 
coming  "  —  and  they  did  come.  And  the  Allies  were 
coming  to  the  relief  of  Peking. 

Hark  !  what  is  that  we  hear  ? 

List,  friends  ! — and  list  again. 
Hark !     Now  'tis  drawing  near — 

Tramping  across  the  plain. 

Men  !    that's  no  Chinese  crowd, 

Men  !    that's  no  heathen  roar  ! 
Hark  !     Now  the  tramping's  loud — 

Christ !     They're  at  our  door  ! 

List  to  the  bugle's  blast ! 
Rescued  by  armies  brave  ! 
^  Thank  God — they're  here — at  last, 

Allies  are  here — to  save  ! 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  narrative  to  record 
events  that  succeeded  the  relief.  To  the  brave  Alhes, 
officers  and  men,  I  must  say  "  Adieu,"  taldng  this 
opportunity  to  thank  them  for  courtesy,  help,  and 
kindness  shown  to  myself  on  numerous  occasions.  I 
shall  ever  have  a  sincere  regard  for  the  soldiers  and 
sailors,  remembering  the  words  of  our  divine  Master : 
"  Greater  love  hath  no  ma,n  than  this,  that  a  man  lay 
down  his  life  for  his  friend."    I  never  can  forget  good 


124  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

General  Sir  Alfred  Gaselee,  who  turned  aside  from  the 
serious  work  of  his  office  ioi  Peking  to  inscribe  a  letter 
to  myself,  a  letter  I  shall  ever  value  for  the  generosity 
with  which  he  recognised  the  slight  services  it  was  in 
my  power  to  render. 

"  Peking,  ^ih  September,  1900. 
"  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  see  you  again  before  you  left 
Peking.  ...  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your 
help  during  the  march  here.  Your  knowledge  of  the 
country  was  most  useful.— With  good  wishes,  believe 
me,  yours  sincerely, 

"  Alfred  Gaselee  " 

(Commander  of  the  Cliina  Expeditionary  Force). 

Another  letter  I  am  pleased  to  place  by  the  side  of 
the  General's  is  from  Major  Parsons,  an  Indian  officer 
who  was  commanding  at  Pei-tai-ho  before  seventy-five 
of  us  were  rescued  by  H.M.S.  Humher  on  18th  June, 
1900 : 

"  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  great  assistance  received 
from  you  while  the  troops  were  holding  Pei-tai-ho  in 
June  last.  There  were  many  ladies  without  their 
husbands,  to  whom  you  rendered  great  assistance ;  and, 
owing  to  your  long  and  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
people  and  language,  I  received  valuable  information 
I  could  not  otherwise  have  obtained. 

"T.  D.  Parsons" 
(Major  Commanding). 


A  PROVIDENTIAL  DELIVERANCE       125 

Only  time  will  show  the  full  effects  of  the  siege  on 
the  people  who  went  through  it.  Many  have  already 
succumbed ;  some  will  be  permanently  affected  ;  all 
have  need  to  feel  proud  of  the  brave  stand  they  made. 

Ye  who  have  nobly  stood 

Months  of  suspense  and  dread, 
Tortures  and  want  of  food, 

Dying,  and  sight  of  dead  ; 

Ye  who  have  nobly  fought, 

Struggled  for  women  dear — 
Surely  ye've  dearly  bought 

Bliss  now  to  shed  a  tear. 

Safe  from  the  sword  and  ball, 

Safe  from  grim,  ghastly  fears. 
Now,  men,  your  tears  may  fall, — 

God  knows  they're  blessed  tears  ! 

Weep  o'er  the  victim's  grave. 

Praise  God,  ye  noble  band, — 
Brothers  are  here  to  save. 

E.  M.  D'A. 

The  glory  for  lives  saved  in  Peking  must  be  given  to 
our  heavenly  Father.  The  Governments  had  planned 
carefully,  and  regardless  of  caste  or  cost.  The  allied 
armies  set  out  on  the  march,  in  the  face  of  human 
judgment,  with  twenty  thousand  men  less  than  they 
ought  to  have  had,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  "  rainy 
season.''  From  beginning  to  end  of  the  march  to 
Peking,  everything  indicated  providential  interposition, 
and  what  was  supposed  would  take  fifty  thousand  men 
one  month  to  accomplish  was  actually  done  by  twenty 


126  FROM  TIENTSIN  TO  PEKING 

thousand  men  in  ten  days.  God's  hand  was  plainly 
manifest,  in  answer  to  the  agonised  cry  of  "help  for 
the  helpless  "  that  went  up  from  all  countries.  Peking 
has  fallen ;  and  should  it  again  become  necessary  for 
allied  armies  to  march  to  the  help  of  the  helpless,  no 
finer  feat  will  be  performed  than  the  historic  march 
narrated  in  these  pages,  a  march  undertaken  in  the 
face  of  "China's  millions,"  intoxicated,  fanatical,  and 
mad  with  the  money  and  promises  given  by  the 
Empress  Dowager  and  her  Ministers. 

Again  is  proved  the  truth  of  the  psalmist's  words 
when  he  said : 

"He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh:  the 
Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision.  Then  shall  He  speak 
unto  them  in  His  wi^ath,  and  vex  them  in  His  sore 
displeasure  "  (Ps.  ii.  4,  5). 


PRINTED   BY   MORRISON   AND   GIBB   LIMITED,    EDINBURGH 


gOOKS    AgOUT   CHINA. 

^^^^ 
DAVID    HILL,    MISSIONARY   AND    SAINT. 

By  Rev.  W.  T.   A.  Barber,  M.A.,  B.D.,  late  Missionary  in 

China.     Sixth  Thousand.    Portraits  and  Maps.    Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d. 

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reader.     Mr.  Barber  has  paid  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  noble  life." — 

Yorkshire  Herald. 

A  STRING  OF  CHINESE  PEACH  STONES. 

Being  a  Collection  of  the  Tales  and  Folk-Lore  of  the  Hankow 
District,  which  eventually  becomes  a  Story  of  the  Taiping  Rebel- 
lion in  Central  China.  By  W.  Arthur  Cornaby.  With  more 
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"There  is  scarcely  a  phase  of  Chinese  life  without  its  illustrative  story  in  this 
collection. " — Daily  News. 

"  The  book  is  of  surpassing  interest." — Methodist  Recorder. 

"  As  a  smajl  encyclopaedia  of  Chinese  stories  about  native  habits,  native  character, 
native  ideas — Mr.  Corrtaby's  is  the  fullest  we  have  ever  come  across." — Echo. 

"  This  book  is  the  revelation  of  a  new  world  of  thought  and  feeling,  of  literature, 
romance,  and  history.  .  .  .  The  book  is  an  education  in  the  art  as  well  as  in  the  life 
•  and  ideas  of  the  Chinese." — Scotsman. 

RAMBLES   IN   CENTRAL  CHINA. 

By   Rev.   W.    Arthur    Cornaby,   Author    of    ''A   String  of 
Chinese  Peach  Stones,"  etc.     Illustrated.     Imperial  i6mo,   is. 
This  is  a  useful  Handbook  for  a  Lantern  Lecture.     Contains  a  list  of  Slides  that 
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THE    CHINAMAN    IN    HIS    OWN   STORIES. 

Translated  by  T.  G.  Selby.     Illustrated.     Crown  8vo,  2s.  6d. 

"This  is  an  admirable  book,  which  deserves,  and  will  doubtless  receive,  much 
attention  at  the  present  time." — Sheffield  Independent. 

"  Exceedingly  interesting  for  the  information  which  they  contain  and  the  insight 
which  they  afford  into  the  daily  life,  the  peculiar  habits,  and  the  quaint  customs  of 
the  Chinese.  "~G/a.<i-^(07t/  Herald. 

THE   WILLOW   PATTERN. 

A  Story  Illustrative  of  Chinese  Social  Life.  By  Rev.  Hilderic 
Friend.     Numerous  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  gilt  edges,  2s.  6d. 

THE   FIRST  YEAR  OF   MY   LIFE. 

A  Story  for  Young  People  about  China.  By  Rose  Cathay 
Friend.     Royal  i6mo,  9d. 

LONDON  :  CHARLES  H.  KELLY,  2,  CASTLE  STREET,  City  Road,  E.G.; 
AND  26,  Paternoster  Row,  E.G. 


By   EGERTON    R.    YOUNG. 

By  Canoe  and  Dog  Train  among  the  Cree  and  Salteaux 
Indians.  By  Egerton  R.  Young.  With  Photographic  Portraits 
of  the  Rev.  E.  R.  and  Mrs.  Young.  Twenty-first  Thousand. 
Map,  and  Thirty-two  Illustrations.     Imperial  i6mo,  3s.  6d. 

"As  we  turn  page  after  page  of  this  book,  we  meet  with  crisp  and  even  humorous 
incidents,  thrilling  escapes,  privations  patiently  borne,  graphic  sketches  of  native 
life  and  character,  and,  best  of  all.  evidences  on  all  hands  of  the  power  of  the 
gospel." — Illustrated  Missionary  Neivs. 

Stories  from  Indian  Wigwams  and  Northern  Camp  Fires. 

By  Rev.   Egerton  R.   Young.     Ninth  Thousand.     Forty-three 
Illustrations.     Imperial  l6mo,  3s.  6d. 
**  I  regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  fascinating,  instructive,  and  stimulating  of  modern 
missionary  books."— Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Winter  Adventures  of  Three  Boys  in  the  Great  Lone  Land. 

By  the  Rev.  Egerton  R.  Young.  Second  Thousand.  Eighteen 
full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  gilt  edges,  3s.  6d. 

"  Boys  will  revel  in  this  book,  and  so  will  their  fathers." — London  Quarterly 
Revie^v. 

"  A  fascinating  book  for  boys." — Western  Morning  Ne^vs. 

"A  well-written,  bracing  book." — Methodist  Times. 

Companion  Volume— Summer  Adventures  of 

Three  Boys  in  the  Wild  North  Land.  By  the  Rev.  Egerton 
R.  Young.  Second  Thousand.  Twenty-eight  full-page  Illustra- 
tions.    Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d. 

Apostle  of  the  North  :  Rev.  James  Evans.  By  the  Rev. 
Egerton  R.  Young.  Twenty-three  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo, 
art  linen,  3s.  6d. 

A  Powerful  Story  by  a  New  American  Writer. 
Ulric  the  Jarl.      A    Story    of   the    Penitent    Thief.      By  W.    O. 
Stoddard.     Five  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  art  linen, 
gilt  top,  3s.  6d. 
**  For  originality  of  conception,  strength  of  the  characters,  and  descriptive  power, 
this  is  pre-eminently  the  story  book  of  the  year." — Christian  Conitiionivealth. 

"A  well-told  story.  .  .  .  There  is  not  a  dull  line  in  the  whole  book." — New  Age. 
"  Singularly  interesting  and  impressive." — Christian  World, 
"A  thrilling  story."— //'aj/m^j  Titnes. 


Dwellers  in  Gotham.     A  Romance  of  New  York.     By  Annan 

Dale  (J.   Wesley  Johnston).      Frontispiece.       Crown   8vo,    art 

linen,  gilt  top,  3s.  6d. 

"  It  is  incessantly  interesting.  .  .  .  The  meaning  swings  ahead  without  a  pause, 

and  carries  the  reader  with  it.  .  .  .  There  are  no  dull  pages  in  the  book,  and  many 

sparkle  with  bright  surprises  of  thought  and  expression.  ...  It  will  catch  and  hold 

a  large  variety  of  readers.     It  is  good  for  young  people  and  old  folks." — Methodist 

Revie^v. 

London  :  CHARLES  H.  KELLY,  2,  Castle  Street,  City  Road,  E.C  ; 
AND  26,  Paternoster  Row,  E.C. 


-,r^ 


U  DAY  USE 


RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
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This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

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UBRARY  USE 


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General  Library 

University  of  California 

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